


Earth 25

by Emanemmy12, OTP_Satellite (Steppenwolf)



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, D/s, F/F, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Rough Sex, Sex Toys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-14
Updated: 2016-08-28
Packaged: 2018-08-08 17:11:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 36,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7766329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emanemmy12/pseuds/Emanemmy12, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Steppenwolf/pseuds/OTP_Satellite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On Earth 25 things have gone a bit different. Alex didn’t kill Astra and Astra in turn took over Earth with Myriad.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is not a fan-fiction per se. It is the log of an RP-thread Inze and I (Alex-Dxnvers) have written over the last few weeks. But it’s too good not to share (since there’s never enough General Danvers to read). That means the POV will jump between Astra and Alex all the time. (And also some NPCs we threw in.)  
> Dialogue put in { } is in Kryptonese.  
> This is already completed. So chapters will be posted quickly when my busy RL schedule allows it.

Astra sighed as she looked in the mirror. One of the worst things about these events was that she couldn't wear her military uniform. It was expected that she wear a dress and parade around acting like she wasn't the one who had made this all possible. She knew that it was also good for the other Kryptonians to be reminded of who was in charge, but there were other ways that she preferred to do that. Pomp and circumstance was only something she observed to keep up morale. Though Astra supposed that this night was a little different. It was the one year anniversary from when the world had fallen at her feet. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't a little proud of that. Astra had come to this broken Earth and lifted it, given it purpose and meaning. The thought made her smile.

But then she turned and looked at the time. It was almost time for her to make her entrance. Astra tsked and looked around. Where was Alex? She had told the other woman that she would be escorting her tonight. True, Alex was even less fond of these types of events than Astra was, but rather than face it alone, Astra had insisted. "Alex?" she called, hoping that she was somewhere in earshot.

 

-

 

Standing outside Astra’s private rooms Alex fiddled with her dress. She hated to dress up. No, that was not quite true. She didn’t mind dressing up, she just hated the events she needed to dress up for. These official events she had to accompany Astra were the worst for her. Between being ignored and being insulted she felt very much like she wasn’t worth the air she was breathing. She had begged Astra letting her stay away this time - the celebration of the defeat of her people would certainly not be any kind of fun for her - but Astra had insisted and Alex never could say no to her.

Checking the time she knew it was almost time. She was about to knock when she heard Astra call for her so she simply opened the door and entered. Her eyes instantly fell onto the Kryptonian, who was basically the Queen of Earth now. “General In-Ze,” she greeted bowing her head slightly. “You look absolutely beautiful tonight. A real Queen,” she said honestly while approaching slowly. She was never quite sure what mood Astra was in when she had to attend such events.

 

~

 

When Alex entered, Astra felt her heart do a small jump in relief. There was something about Alex that set Astra at ease. Her preference for the human was well known by others, but Astra doubted that any of them knew the extent of it. Not even Alex knew, hopefully. Astra had never asked and the thought of doing so was more intimidating than she'd care to admit. Instead she just smiled and shook her head at the compliments. "Thank you, but I don't think that I can compare to you." Astra moved towards Alex, eyes roaming to take in her figure. She meant the compliment honestly and when Alex was close enough, Astra reached out to cup her cheek gently. "You are a vision to behold."

Then she moved forward again, wrapping her arms around Alex. Astra placed a kiss to Alex's cheek and then just let herself hold the other woman close. It was a bit selfish for her to draw such strength from Alex, but Astra couldn't help herself. "Thank you for coming, Alex," she said softly. "I know neither of us enjoys these things." Then Astra released Alex with a sigh. "I suppose we have to go then." She looped her arm around Alex's and made to move forwards.

 

_

 

Alex tilted her head downwards at Astra’s compliment. She knew Astra meant it; at least as much as she could really appreciate a human. Alex knew she was lucky that Astra had taken to like her, to favorite her among all other humans. It meant she had a lot more freedom than most people, but she was still only a human, one of the lesser species. And today they were celebrating that. The victory of the Kryptonians over all of humanity. So even if Alex was never fond of these kinds of events, today was even worse. But of course she had adhered to Astra’s wishes and dressed up for the occasion. She couldn’t have Astra look bad because of her.

She let Astra put her arms around her and hold her close, she even leaned into the embrace. Astra was good to her, she even showed her more respect than most other people, respected and valued her opinions on different matters. Alex couldn’t help but admire Astra for what she had done for their planet, even though others didn’t see it that way. “Of course I came,” she answered quietly. “Everything for you, Astra,” she added. It would be the last time she could use Astra’s first name. It would be considered an insult if she did so in public. “Yes, if we really have to go?” she said, quietly pleading that Astra would not ask her to go.

 

~

 

It gave her a little thrill when Alex called her by her name. She had allowed Alex to use it shortly after their relationship had evolved into something more intimate. Before that, Astra had merely appreciated Alex as someone that she could talk to and not have to worry about the implications, that and Alex was brilliant in her own right. She provided a perspective that Astra's other advisors just didn't have simply because they weren't human. The more time that they had spent together though, Astra had found herself more intrigued by the younger woman. In Alex, she, surprisingly, found someone who could keep up and challenge her. Astra had slowly started to drift towards Alex, making small changes or excuses to be able to spend more time with her. It wasn’t until one discussion that Astra had found herself staring at Alex’s lips as she spoke that she realized the truth nature of her feelings towards Alex. Being attracted to a woman wasn’t really a problem for her, but the fact that Alex was human gave her pause. Eventually though, her attraction was far too great for her to ignore. The first time, Astra had been sure to ask, without using any of the words that would force Alex to be tied to her will. It had been the one thing that she wouldn't cross. Nowadays, the line was more blurry. Astra forgot to be careful with what she'd say to Alex and Myriad would do it's work. Still, she nodded. "We do."

With that being said, Astra led them both out of the room. The grand hall wasn't a long walk away and Astra could already hear the buzzing of excitement from the room. Her face fell for a moment, but once they reached the top of the staircase, looking out over the crowd, a smile plastered itself over Astra's face. The whole attendance turned and began to clap as she made her way down, still leading Alex. The color scheme of the party was bright, reds and yellows that seemed to blend into rich oranges. It was supposed to represent the blending of both Earth and Krypton as that's what Astra had always claimed that she was doing. The room was filled with high officials who were Kryptonian and one or two other species. Alex wasn't the only human in the room, but she was the only one who was there as a guest.

 

_

 

Alex walked with Astra, head held high and a smile on her face even though she didn’t feel like smiling. The Kryptonians and other aliens in the crowd saw her as little more than Astra’s pet and the humans, waiters and servers mostly today, either thought her a traitor or an opportunist. There were only very few people who really accepted Alex and none of them were here. The only thing making the upcoming ordeal bearable was Astra being strong and sure at her side.

She could see people start to whisper as they clapped for Astra and her hand gripped Astra’s arm a little tighter, but her smile never faltered. She silently reminded herself that she was not a lesser being, that she was an advisor to Astra and not just her toy, that she had helped making this victory possible because she believed in Astra and her plan to save the planet. And in only one year Astra had already accomplished a lot that no one thought possible. There was no more war, food, water and medicine were evenly distributed from the rich countries to the poor, science had made a huge leap forward to use clean energy. And that was just the beginning.

 

~

 

When Alex's hand tightened, Astra responded by reaching over to gently place her own hand on top of it, giving a light squeeze. She knew what people said and no matter how often Astra defended Alex, the whispers didn't stop. It hurt that the others couldn't see how special Alex was, but she supposed that they were stuck in the same mindset that she'd been in when she'd first arrived on the planet. Alex had changed her mind about humans ever so slightly. Enough that she'd been able to actually understand some of the silly conflicts that had happened in their history.

When they finally reached the bottom, Astra turned and directed them both to some of the people that she could stand. "Hello, Fal-Un," she said greeting the man. He was in charge of making sure Myriad didn't come undone in areas that hadn't been as quick to prosper.

"General," he intoned, bowing his head. There was a glance that he made to Alex and he gave a terse smile. "Counselor." It was clear that he was only addressing Alex because Astra was standing there. The woman on his arm also bobbed her head to both Astra and Alex, her expression less intolerant when she gazed at Alex, more curious. "My wife and I have been greatly enjoying the evening, congratulations on your triumph."

Astra shook her head. "It isn't just mine." She gave a smile and then turned to Alex. "Why don't you get us drinks." She didn't want to be overly cruel and make Alex stand there while Fal-Un complimented Astra on certain victories.

  


_

 

Alex gave Astra a thankful, and honest, smile that made her whole face light up for a moment. But is was gone as soon as they reached the bottom of the stairs, replaced again by the fake mask she had become used to.

When Fal-Un addressed her she held his gaze firmly, not willing to show any signs of weakness or how much the treatment really affected her. “Major Fal-Un,” she greeted stiffly before giving his wife a slightly more friendly smile. The curiosity displayed by some wasn’t much better, speculations about just what she was doing for Astra to gain her place at her side were ranging from slightly perverted to outright ridiculous things she apparently let Astra do to her. But that was such a human thing to do that she could deal with it slightly better. Most people, Kryptonians and humans alike, wondered what Astra saw in her and apparently sex was the only explanation that let them sleep at night. Because the alternative would have them have to rethink their opinion on humans completely.

She nodded at Astra’s request, bowing her head slightly. “Of course, General. Can I get  something for you and your wife too, Major?” she added politely since she had noticed that the wife’s glass was almost empty. And even though she didn’t like the major she couldn’t have her behavior reflect badly on Astra.

 

~

 

"What? I'm fine," Fal-Un said, a little bit of shock in his tone, but then he looked over at his wife and his demeanor softened. "But it seems that my wife requires something else." He looked back at Alex. "Thank you." The Major might have found her presence irritating but that didn't mean he was going to be totally rude. Especially since Alex had been thoughtful to the woman at his side. It was hard to tell in the lighting, but she didn't seem to be a Kryptonian.

Astra hated to see Alex go, but the second that she did, the Major launched into praises about some of his favorite victories, all of which were the ones that Astra had seen as nearly failures. It was frustrating to be complimented on missions where the number of lives taken had been too many.

 

_

 

Alex gave slight nod of her head to the major before walking away to leave the Kryptonians to gush about their victory. Moving through the crowd without Astra by her side was not quite as easy, people wouldn’t move out of her way, some would even step into her way on purpose just out of jest. There were quite a few Kryptonians who were quite jealous of her standing with Astra; a lot of the families would love nothing more than to marry into the family of Ze, to gain power. And to them it seemed like Alex was just an obstacle that needed to be removed. It was quite the miracle, or more likely Astra’s strict ruling, that there hadn’t been an attempt on her life yet. She tried to shut out the nasty remarks that were whispered not so discreetly as she moved past, but it still stung to hear those things even though she should have been used to them by now. The whispered ‘pet-human’ was really one of the more harmless insults and she barely blinked any more upon hearing herself being called that.

When she reached the bar it didn’t become any better, the bartender shooting her a nasty glance. But of course he would appear polite on the surface and in his words, being well aware that the General could hear him even from a distance. “Advisor Danvers,” he greeted her with a fake smile and eyes as cold as glaciers. “What can I get for the General?” It was obvious that he had no intention to ask what Alex herself wanted and as such dismissing her as someone of rank completely. It was clear that he just thought of her as the General’s servant and submissive in any way possible. “I’ll have a Kryptonian red, a glass of Chardonnay and a glass of water,” she ordered in a stiff voice, her eyes just as cold as the bartender’s were. She desperately wanted a drink, hell she wanted to get drunk right this second, but that was something she couldn’t allow herself to do tonight. She couldn’t risk losing her control or her temper which was already hard to do while sober. The way back took even longer since she had to balance the three glasses carefully, but eventually she made it back without spilling Kryptonian red wine on anyone.

 

~

 

By the time that Alex returned, both Astra and Fal-Un had moved on to less bragging and were now actually talking about plans. It seemed that the Major was advocating for them to remove all human made structures that hurt the planet while Astra was trying to convince him that those structures had been in place long enough that there were ecosystems dependent on them. She paused when Alex returned taking the Kryptonian red wine and leaned over to press a light kiss to Alex's cheek. "Thank you, <beautiful>." But then she turned back to the major, intent on convincing him.

The major's wife then moved towards Alex, that curious look still on her face. Without speaking, she took the glass of red wine. But then she reached out her other hand, seeming to want to place it on top of Alex's, but she paused and tilted her head as if to ask permission.

 

_

 

Alex was glad to find that the conversation had moved on to other topics. Catching a few words before Astra noticed her she was pleased to find that it was something she had discussed with Astra before and would be something she could contribute to, if Astra so desired. She would not just offer her opinion without being prompted, not out in public at least, but Astra liked to ask for her opinion a lot. If only to show that she valued Alex’s input in public. “My pleasure, General,” Alex answered quietly as she handed the glass over to Astra.

Then she handed the second glass of wine to the Major’s wife. She was surprised at the silent inquiry. Up close now she could see that the woman was not Kryptonian and Alex had no idea what species she was. That made allowing to touch her a risk because a lot of species operated by touch to communicate, but also to kill. But denying the woman would be extremely rude at a setting like this so she nodded lightly, allowing the contact.

 

~

 

With a delicate touch, a hand was placed on Alex's. Nothing bad happened, but there was a strange energy that now ran between the two of them. A voice now echoed in Alex's head. "Hello. My apologies for not speaking up earlier. I forget that this is how I have to communicate now." She gave a small smile. "I have been wanting to meet you for quite some time." Both Kryptonians were far too engaged in their conversation to really pay much attention to the exchange.

 

_

 

Alex relaxed when the only thing that happened was the voice in her head and she gave a slight smile to the woman. “I … I am not sure how this works,” she answered, speaking the words out loud since she didn’t know if the woman would be able to read her thoughts too. But she kept her voice even, pleasant and low as to not alarm Astra or draw any attention to them. “I’m sorry. I never caught your name,” she said keeping her hand steady under the woman’s touch. “Why did you want to meet me?” she asked. Only thinking the part how usually Kryptonians either avoided or insulted her. She threw a quick glance towards Astra, not really wanting her to notice the strange conversation until she knew what this was about.

 

~

 

"Ah yes. You will have to speak. This is... the best example I have is a one way transmission. It isn't very helpful for discretion, but when you have your tongue removed, you take whatever form of communication that you have." As if that wasn't a disturbing thing to be talking about, the woman gave a nod at Alex's question. "My people do not usually have names, but since coming to Earth, I have realized that there is a need for one. I mostly use Fatima, if you would like to have a designation for me." When Alex looked over at Astra, the face of the Major's wife lightened even more. "As for why I wanted to meet you, I believe you and I are in similar positions. Though yours must be much more trying than mine." She glanced at her husband. "My husband will have to be reminded that he's been quite rude to you later."

 

_

 

Alex fought very hard to keep her heartbeat and breathing even as the woman told her that her tongue was removed. She really didn’t want to alarm Astra and bring her focus to this conversation. For the same reason her voice was low so that they wouldn’t be overheard as long as no one paid attention to their conversation. “Why was your tongue removed?” she asked confused. She had not heard of that particular form of punishment before and wondered if that was something Kryptonians used to do a lot. “I believe we have technology that can help you speak anyway. It’s like a microphone that would work with your vocal cords. Do you have vocal cords. Please excuse my ignorance, but I’m not even sure what species you are. My deepest apologies for that. I don’t mean to be rude,” she said quietly. “Fatima works perfectly. Please call me Alex,” she said putting her free hand on top of Fatima’s in a form of greeting. “And please don’t get into trouble on my behalf. I am quite used to way worse. And he even thanked me. So don’t be too hard on him.”

 

~

 

If Fatima could have laughed, it was clear that she would have at Alex's questions. "It isn't exactly a nice story. But..." she tilted her head, seeming to appraise Alex for a few moments. "When Krypton exploded the guards in Fort Rozz decided that they didn't have to follow the rules of how to treat their guests. My people prize our voices above all else. We are almost like your sirens." She nodded at that. "I did enjoy learning about that. But since that was my most prized assist, the guards decided to take it as a way to break me. I'm sure you've heard stories from your General."

When Alex mentioned the way for her to speak, Fatima shook her head adamantly, though the voice in Alex's head didn't change inflection. "No. I would rather not speak then hear my words spoken without it sounding like me. I still carry some of my pride, Alex. But thank you."

Again, her shoulders shook in a sort of laugh. "My husband simply needs reminding. A few months ago we were visiting a hospital that was overrun, part of the initiative to prevent overcrowding and proper safety, and there was a woman giving birth who lost her child. He witnessed this and when he arrived home, wept in my arms for hours. Over the humans who apparently he despises." Fatima shook her head. "It is not right for him to act so differently."

 

_

 

With rapt attention Alex listened to Fatima’s story and eventually nodded. She had heard some stories about what happened on Fort Rozz after the planet exploded and the guards were basically Gods. “I am sorry that happened to you. But why were you on Fort Rozz in the first place?” she asked  curiously. Fort Rozz had been a prison after all and while not everyone there had been dangerous most of the inmates had been there for a reason.

She nodded and squeezed the woman’s hand on her arm gently when she adamantly refused any technical aid to speak. “I understand. If your voice can be compared to a siren’s than that must be worse than not being able to speak at all.”

What she heard made her see Fal-Un in a different light. She knew he was one of the good men in Astra’s staff because Astra spoke highly of him compared to the insults she had for some others and she actually enjoyed his company and liked to discuss things with him almost as equals. “I am sure there is more to it than just me being human,” she said quietly. She wasn’t exactly sure but thought that the man was actually a bit jealous because Astra valued her opinions just as much as his.

 

~

 

The lightness of Fatima darkened for a moment, her eyes flickering from human seeming ones, to much more reptilian ones. But it was gone in a flash. She moved closer to Alex, as if telling her a secret. Not that anyone would be able to hear her words anyways. But it's clear that the desire was left over from the time when she did have a voice. "I said we were like sirens. I meant it. There were corrupt Kryptonian officials on my planet and they caused the death of a beloved brother. As punishment, I made them all walk off a very tall cliff with a song." With that she took a drink from the wine that Alex had brought her. Without a working tongue, Fatima had to tilt her head back slightly as she swallowed which only served to make her look more snakelike. "The General heard my tale and said that I should not have been punished at all. She is fond of vengeance it seems."

Alex's comment made Fatima nod. "Perhaps. It is still unfair. Don't worry about my safety. He is as dedicated to me as your General is to you. He would not ever harm me. I believe striking a lover was a great taboo on Krypton. Tell me, is she as distant alone? I've met her several times, but I don't think I've ever heard her speak of herself, only of her plans for others."

 

_

 

Alex suppressed the shudder that wanted to ripple through her body at the sight of the woman’s eyes. But after she heard her story she nodded and grinned. “Yes, the General is very much against corruption so I can see how she would approve of your actions. I personally like to believe in a proper trial. But sometimes that’s just not possible and things just need to be done,” she said quietly. She found the woman and her story to be quite fascinating and it was certainly nice to talk to someone who understood her position because she was in a very similar one.

Alex hesitated to answer for a moment. Astra was a very private person for a reason. She decided to not answer directly but still offer the woman some insight. “Well, you husband isn’t as much of a hardass as he pretends to be, is he? I guess it is very much like that. We get to see facettes of them that no one else does,” she said, giving her answer between the lines.

 

~

 

There was a nod from Fatima. "Well said. I can see why she likes you. I do prefer swift retribution myself. But my planet was always considered uncivilized." When the last word was spoken, Fatima released Alex and did air quotes before placing her hand back on Alex's arm.

She pursed her lips at Alex's dodging of her question, but it wasn't like she didn't understand why. "I see. Remember that. It gives us more power than you would think is imaginable." With that, Fatima released Alex and walked over to her husband, reaching up to gently brush her hand on his cheek. The Major almost immediately stiffened and bowed to Astra, making to move away from them. But then he gave another nod to Alex.

Amused, Astra moved back to Alex and sighed. "It seems that they have something to attend to. Can you believe that he wants to remove all dams? Those are a very valuable energy source." She tsked softly.

 

_

 

Alex chuckled lightly. “Very much like Earth is called primitive I guess,” she said softly. “Please, come find me again sometime, I would like to hear more about your planet and culture, “ she added after it was clear that Fatima was about to leave. “Also if you ever need something, you know where to find me. Have a good night.”

She turned to Astra with a wide smile. This evening had panned out to be more on the pleasant side so far and she couldn’t help but be in a good mood for it. “I believe you should pay more attention to his wife, General. If you want something from him she will be the one you need to talk to,” she said quietly. “And really? That is a stupid idea. For one because of the energy but also because it would destroy whole ecosystems. Building those dams might not have been wise the way they were build but taking them down would be equally as disastrous.”

 

~

 

At the advice, Astra raised an eyebrow. "That is good to know. I never really understood what he saw in her, but clearly there is something there that is more than I can see." The wine Astra had had was starting to hit her and it made her much more relaxed and smiley than she normally would have been during this type of event. She wrapped an arm around Alex's again. "See?" she said with a grin. "You understand exactly and that's why I keep you close." Very easily Astra drained the rest of her glass and then leaned over, kissing Alex softly.

Then she pulled back and observed the room. "There are probably a few other people that I must say hello to, but then, if you'd like, we can sneak away." Astra grinned at the thought of that. "I can think of many other things that I'd rather be doing with you than talking to a room filled with mostly idiots."

 

_

 

Alex gave a slight tilt of her head in response. “They are very close in private and she knows him very well. One could say she has a similar place in his life as I have in yours. They just made their union official too,” she said calmly. There was no bite to her words; she never expected Astra to marry her or make their relationship official in any way. Of course it would be a wise political move for Astra to marry a human, but Alex was certainly not the proper candidate for that.

She accepted Astra’s kiss willingly but hesitantly, aware of the looks they were getting. Astra becoming affectionate like this in public always made her uncomfortable because it gave more fodder to the people who only thought her a toy and not fit to be a real advisor.

“You know I’d rather leave sooner than later,” she said quietly. “So let’s mingle some more so we can, please.” With her mood still good from her conversation with Fatima she was looking forward to spending some alone time with Astra. She just hoped the evening would stay as pleasant as it had begun.

 

~

 

The comment made Astra raise an eyebrow, but she didn't say anything. She was quite content never to marry again. What she had with Alex was more than she could have wanted after the sham of her first marriage. It wasn't something that they'd ever spoken about, however, and Astra made a mental note to perhaps have that talk with Alex. In case she got ideas.

"Of course," she said and scanned the room. Then Astra gave a sigh. "I'm afraid that our next chat will not be quite so pleasant." Heading towards them was the Kryptonian who had taken Non's position after his fall. Lieutenant Stella Lu-Dar had been a former guard within Fort Rozz who when the prisoners had rioted had switched sides. She had done so strictly out of her dedication to Astra, who she was convinced was right. That loyalty had only gotten more fanatical through the years on Earth and had been the main reason why Astra had promoted her, though Stella was younger than most. At first her unquestioning nature had been something that Astra had enjoyed, but lately it had been irritating her. Especially since the nature of Astra and Alex's relationship had been revealed. Before then, Stella had been very kind to Alex, curious about her. Astra had said that humans were valuable so Stella had willingly gone along with the notion. But once she learned that Astra was sleeping with her, the Lieutenant had done a complete 180. It wasn't that she hated all humans, but she was clearly determined to find a way to remove Alex from Astra's life. Everyone knew that it was purely out of jealousy.

As she finally reached them, Astra gave a smile. "General," Stella spoke, leaning in to both shake Astra's hand and press a kiss to Astra's cheek, a gesture that Astra did not return. She turned and gave Alex a short nod. "Advisor." Stella was never outwardly rude to Alex, not when Astra was near, but the coldness in her eyes was impossible to miss. "It's always a pleasure to see you both."

 

_

 

The look Astra gave her didn’t go unnoticed but Alex wasn’t sure what to make of it. She had no illusions about their relationship and had never expected any bigger commitment from Astra. She was actually surprised that the Kryptonian had not grown tired of her yet; after all she was only human and Astra always had to hold back. And it wasn’t like Astra would lose her as an advisor if their relationship ended, so Alex wasn’t quite sure what to make of it sometimes.

Alex tensed noticeably when Stella approached them. There were a lot of people who questioned Alex and her position but most people simply ignored her. But Stella hated her guts and she would love to see her gone or even dead sooner rather than later. Alex knew the other woman was jealous, and didn’t really understand why. If Astra wanted to sleep with her she definitely could, Alex had no claim on her, Astra held all the power.

“Lieutenant,” she greeted with a fake smile. She was standing straight, her head held high, she would definitely not cower before her or show any fear. “I am just as pleased to see you,” she added in a conversational tone.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More politics in this chapter. Worldbuilding and thoughts.  
> Meet more awesome OCs :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you snugglejunkie for the nice comment :)(it was the first!!) You rock!  
> Due to timezones and RL we hope to be posting one chapter every other day.

Once Stella had made her greeting, Astra reflexively moved closer to Alex. She knew that Alex was capable of handling herself, but Astra was still protective of her. After all, she was only human and Stella was not. If there was any move against Alex, Astra was prepared to stop it. "Are you here alone?" The question was pointed. Astra had been trying to encourage Stella to stop waiting on her and actually find someone. 

Stella stiffened at Astra's question and then she turned slightly. "No, actually. Raa-Un, come here." Stella gestured and a small form moved towards them. Though the appearance of the woman was very young, there was an oldness to her eyes. Feathers, ones that were clearly growing from the girl's head, were woven together with her hair. She was a rare half Kryptonian and half other species. Most people knew her story. She'd been imprisoned in Fort Rozz as cross-breeding with her mother's species, an avian race, had been forbidden at the age of 12. Technically, she was even younger than Alex was. 

The young woman reached out and shook Astra's hand and then offered hers to Alex.

 

_

 

Alex knew that Astra moving closer to her was her being protective. But the fact that Astra felt the need to do so only made Alex more nervous. It only meant that Astra too was aware of the possibility of Stella going after her. And that wasn’t something that was easily ignored.

Her eyes widened ever so lightly when Stella revealed that she had company but Alex couldn’t help but feel sorry for the young woman who was most likely just a fill-in. She had never met the cross-breed before and it was hard not to stare, but she managed. 

She shook the offered hand and smiled at the younger woman. “It’s nice to meet you.”

 

~

 

The girl blinked at Alex and then smiled. "You too. I've heard a lot about you. And thank you for allowing my attendance, General." Raa-Un's voice was soft and it carried an accent, unlike most of the Kryptonians. The Rs were much more drawn out as if they were hard for her to form. Her handshake was also not as strong. There was an odd quality of both strength and fragility to it. It was the main reason for the two species being forbidden to mate was the fragile bone structure of the avian species combined with Kryptonian blood would often result in children would be malformed or would die quite young. It was rare that one would make it to the age that Raa-Un was now. That was in part to her being kept under close watch by the guards and now the power of the yellow sun that helped to heal any wounds that she got. "I'd say that things look amazing, but I'm afraid my eyes don't see most of these colors." 

Astra gave a small smile. She had always felt sorry for the younger girl, who she'd seen dragged to different parts of Fort Rozz. "That's no matter. A celebration is about the people, not the decorations. If you have the right group of people with you then it says more about who you are. I think the collection we have here shows progress." Stella gave a small scoff and Astra gave her a look. "Do you disagree Lieutenant?"

"I've always thought that what someone does shows more about them than anything." Stella emphasized the word does and glanced over at Alex. Clearly trying to indicate that Astra being with her was painting Astra in an unfavorable light. 

Astra's nostrils flared, a sigh of anger, but then Raa-Un gave a small noise, like a click in the back of her throat. Both Kryptonians turned and the young woman shook her head, the feathers rustling. "I disagree with both of you. The company you keep, the actions you take, they are all parts of determining character. But the most important is how a person treats the less fortunate." She looked over at Alex, clearly wanting to see if the human had any input.

 

_

 

Alex was very curious about the younger girl. She had seen her data back before the Kryptonians had attacked but had never paid a lot of attention to it since the girl wasn’t a criminal and simply in Fort Rozz for existing. Other species had taken priority and the low risk avian breed had been all but forgotten. But now, seeing her and talking to her, her scientific curiosity was roaring awake and simply the fact that she didn’t want to offend anyone kept her from asking any questions. 

Stella’s jab at her was nothing out of the ordinary, she was used to it and worse from Stella by now. But she kept her come back to herself, not wanting to hurt the Lieutenant’s company. Her fist clenched at her side though and she wanted nothing more than 15 minutes with Stella and a kryptonite emitter so they would be evenly matched when she kicked her ass.

“I would agree with Raa-Un,” Alex said, the intonation of the name being a little off. “But I also think you only truly learn what kind of person someone is when they’re faced with their own death.”

Alex had been prepared to die after Astra killed J’onn up on that roof and some days she thought it would have been the more merciful fate. But Astra had not killed her and Kara found her weeping over J’onn’s body. Kara was overjoyed of course that Alex was still alive, though neither of them understood why Astra had spared her.

 

~

 

There was a nod from Raa-Un and from Astra. Both of them had been in situations where death had felt inevitable and could see the value. Stella just narrowed her eyes and she was about to say something when a very obviously drunk man came up behind her and picked her up in a huge bear hug. "Lieutenant!!" the man, another Major named Qui-Dal, cried out. He placed Stella back down and grinned over at Raa-Un before reaching out to ruffle the girl's hair and feathers. She gave a sort of half huff and half squawk and the man laughed. Then he noticed Alex and Astra. "General!" he said and straightened to give a sharp salute. "And her consort, I mean adviser." He gave a nod to Alex, the slip of the tongue clearly from drink. "Today is truly a great day!" He declared, his voice booming with pride. "I never thought we'd have a home again, but here we are. One that we can stop from destroying itself." As he spoke, an arm went around Raa-Un, who was clearly not pleased with the situation, but she really couldn't do that much about it. 

Astra gave a semi nod. "Yes, that's true." She had her polite smile on, clearly not impressed with the man's behavior. Stella on the other hand was highly amused. "Now, Major, you'll see that none of us have drinks, so why don't you go fetch us some. It would be very gallant of you." The man bobbed his head enthusiastically and released Raa-Un before teetering off towards the bar. It was very unlikely that he'd be returning. Astra sighed. "If this is his behavior at such events, I may want to see his station reviewed." 

"Oh come on, General," Stella said. "It's a good night and he meant no harm. Just because he spoke what everyone else is thinking..." She trailed off to look at Alex again. "It might as well just be announced." 

"You and I have spoken about this before, Lieutenant," Astra snapped. The two women glared at each other. Normally they got along, but when it came to Alex it was like night at day. 

As the Kryptonians spoke, Raa-Un ruffled her feathers and a few fell out of her hair. She sighed and picked them up, making a disappointed clicking noise. She held the bunch in her hand and then twirled them softly. For whatever reason it seemed she was sad to lose them.

 

_

 

Alex let out a quiet sigh when the next Kryptonian showed up. She wasn’t all that hurt by his words, he just said what everyone was thinking, but she almost growled when he all but manhandled the younger girl and Stella did nothing to stop him. Taking half a step forward she glared at the man. “I think you need to let go of Raa-Un,” she said very quietly, now glaring at Stella. “She clearly does not want to be touched by you.” 

But the man was clearly too drunk to even understand what she was talking about, or maybe he just didn’t want to because he only let go of the half avian when Stella suggested drinks. Alex hoped he would just pass out somewhere because she wasn’t sure she could deal with him any more without losing her temper. The whole interaction only served to strengthen Alex opinion about the relationship between the two women; Stella didn’t care for Raa-Un, she didn’t see her as an equal and every Kryptonian would always be worth more to her. 

“I’m sorry,” she said towards Raa-Un. “You shouldn’t have to deal with such behavior during festivities like these. Are you okay?” she asked since Stella and Astra were clearly more interested in butting heads. Of course Alex appreciated that Astra was protecting her honor but she thought she should have called her Major to order at displaying such rude behavior to anyone.

 

~

 

When Alex moved forward, Astra noted it and she almost reached out to touch her arm to try and pull Alex back, but then the Major let the girl go and Astra felt her heart settle back into place. It was strange. Normally Astra was fairly protective of Alex, or anyone that she cared for, but she was surprised at just how worried she'd been. The thought only made her more angry at Stella. Her lieutenant had always been a good argument partner. 

Raa-Un shook her head and gave a small smile at Alex, moving closer to her. "He meant no harm. But my mother's people were never as physical as some Kryptonians are. But thank you." She huffed and looked over at Astra and Stella who were still in a death match of glaring. "She does not understand that aspect of my culture." There was a ruffle of feathers as Raa-Un shook her head. "I mean no disrespect, but my position is at least better than yours." Her face is one of pity towards Alex. "I cannot imagine how you must feel today, but at least you know that the planet is in the best hands it could be." Raa-Un looked over at Astra and then gave a small role of her eyes. Despite the fact that Stella had the height advantage, Astra was very clearly trying to elevate herself to seem bigger. "Well... it seems that even the most wise can be made foolish in the presence of those they want to mate with." Raa-Un lifted the feathers in her hand. "Do you think I should give her these?  I'm told that my feathers are not as large as a peacock's, but they share a similar color." Her tone doesn't really indicate whether she has malice towards either Astra or Alex, but there is a small smile in her eyes that is mischievous.

 

_

 

Alex shook her head when Raa-Un tried to dismiss the Major’s behavior. “No. Boys will be boys is the stupidest thing ever. If it makes you, or anyone else for that matter, uncomfortable it is not okay. He meant no harm is not a get out of jail card. It’s an excuse for so much rude or even harming behavior. And Stella ,” she continued a little louder and more pointedly, “should take note of your culture and respect it. But to her everything or anyone not Kryptonian isn’t worth anything.” 

She cocked an eyebrow at the younger girl. “At least Astra makes an effort to understand my culture. She doesn’t disregard my advice just because I am human but actually listens. It is debatable who is in the better position,” she answered her voice a touch colder than before. She wouldn’t be pitied. She knew she was more than a consort to Astra even though only few people saw that.

“I am the General’s advisor. I don’t know what Stella has told you, but that is my first duty in my relationship with Astra. Everything else is between the General and me and people should stop speculating about it because they are jealous.”

Alex’s patience was wearing thin and she just wanted the evening to be over. But not before things turned even worse. Queen Maxima was headed towards them. She was one of the few who openly dared to challenge Astra and she made no secret out of her thoughts about Alex, a human plaything and a temporarily distraction.

 

~

 

Stella's eyes narrowed when Alex said her name. Both Kryptonians could hear the conversation being had between the others, though neither interjected. When Raa-Un spoke, Stella smirked, but then the tables were turned once Alex spoke up. Astra gave a sharp nod. "Exactly. And this level of pettiness is beneath you, Stella. To go so far as to tell probably blatant lies to Raa-Un is unacceptable. You and I have spoken many times about this, in private and I'd thank you to keep them there." Stella's face turned a shade of red, clearly now seeing that she'd actually deeply upset Astra and feeling ashamed. Realizing what she'd accidentally stepped into, Raa-Un bowed her head, looking at the ground. She had the decency to at least be sorrowful for misstepping. 

The sight of Maxima made Astra's mood dip as well. Folding her arms in front of her chest, Astra sighed. "Hello Maxima," she said as the woman finally joined them. Stella and Raa-Un also murmured greetings.

 

_

 

Alex was aware that she had probably angered Stella even more by calling her out like this, by calling her a liar basically. But she was actually beyond caring, kind of wishing Stella would make a real move already so they could get this over with. This gossiping and spreading rumors behind her back was tiring and wearing her down. And the fact that Astra had talked to Stella about her in confidence didn’t make her feel any better.

Alex bowed her head respectfully at Maxima when she approached. She might not like the queen very much, she was too boastful and full of herself, but she still preferred her over Stella any day. Because even though Maxima didn’t like her either she was al least honest and upfront about it. There was no hidden agenda and she didn’t play pretend when Astra was around. 

“General,” she greeted Astra respectfully but without the submission a lot of other people displayed around her. “and her human toy of course. I see you are still not tired of the human,” she added with a smug grin towards Alex. “And Stella, I see you caught yourself a little bird to keep your bed warm while waiting for the General. What is it they say here? Hope never dies?”

 

~

 

"My advisor is not a toy, Maxima, as you well know," Astra snapped, her patience having already been quite worn thin by Stella insubordination. "I'm unsurprised that you seem unable to notice genuine affection" It was well known that Astra and Maxima butted heads. They had done so since the very first days of landing on Earth. 

 

As there was now someone who was attacking Astra, Stella fell into line and she also frowned. "Raa-Un and I do not have that type of relationship," she commented. "You would do well to hold your tongue, Maxima. Such words are not becoming for a Queen." She used the title with sarcasm. 

For her part, Raa-Un did not seem as offended or flustered by the arrival of Maxima and merely gave a slight nod at her.

 

_

 

Maxima just smirked at Astra at her protest. “Of course General. Whatever lets you sleep at night. I’m sure the human is not affected by Myriad at all and you are true equals in your relationship,” she said not at least perturbed by Astra’s anger. 

Alex had been glad that Astra defended her of course but Maxima’s come back really hit home with her and she all but froze not even able to follow the conversation any longer for a moment and missed entirely what Stella said. Alex was busy dissecting Maxima’s words in her head. 

Of course Alex was aware of Myriad and that Astra used it to influence the world’s population in her favor. She had brought peace to Earth, something that had not happened in all of human history. But she couldn’t quite recall if Astra had ever used Myriad to influence her, but there was a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that made her wonder. 

But she pulled herself back together after a moment and gave Maxima a bright smile. “We are not equals. I’m just her advisor.”

 

~

 

There was a deep anger that rippled through Astra, even though she knew that Maxima had a point. She had been so careful not to trigger Myriad with Alex at the start and Astra truly did consider Alex an equal to her. In a way that no one had ever been. She sighed and pushed the anger back. Tonight was a good night and to make a scene would have been unbecoming. Then Alex's statement struck her. Astra shook her head and jutted out her chin. "She's more my equal than you are," Astra stated, her eyes going to match Maxima's. The anger wasn't gone, but Astra was much more controlled in terms of what she was projecting. That statement stunned both Stella and Raa-Un. Though they had known how Astra felt about Alex, they hadn't really understood the depth of it. Astra publicly declaring her belief that she and Alex were essentially equals had great implications for the world order as it stood. If one human could be seen as an equal by their leader, then meant that the others were also elevated by association.

 

_

 

Alex was just as surprised as everyone else by Astra’s words, in more ways than one. “General, you should not say things like this. It’s political suicide,” she said calmly. It didn’t matter if the statement was true or not, it was way too soon after the Kryptonians’ victory to align herself with a human that much. Astra was strong and the leader but she needed support from within her ranks and Alex shuddered at the thought of someone else taking Astra’s place through a coup.

“Your advisor seems to have a better understanding of your relationship and its significance than you do, General,” Maxima said apparently highly amused. “Tell me, Advisor, why do you think you are not equals?” 

Alex lowered her eyes in embarrassment, she had not meant to criticize Astra in public, or at all really, but it was constant fear that someone would overthrow Astra.

“Well for one, and quite obviously, she’s the General and she makes all the decisions. She listens to my advice but in the end it is her opinion that matters most. Now she is a very wise and just leader but she still rules absolute. Then there’s the fact that she has her powers due to our yellow sun and the fact that I belong to the race that lost the war. I have my position due to her goodwill and mercy; we fought against each other and she would have every reason to have me executed or incarcerated. I owe her my life.”

 

~

 

As much as she wished it wasn't true, Astra knew that Alex was right. Politics had never been Astra's particular strong suit. Military strategy was much easier. There were orders given and orders received. To disobey was to fail. That made sense to her. Designing technology was also something that made more sense. There was a theory and follow through. When building a system like Myriad, there wasn't any fear that the technology was going to turn on you. But with politics, everyone had their own agenda and so rarely did they follow orders. It drove Astra mad. She tried to play the game and was usually fairly successful, but she knew that there were those who were better. People like Alex. "You owe me nothing, Alex. As for the rest of you, remember that we are here as protectors of the Earth. To ensure that a planet does not die again like ours. But the beauty of Earth has also been build on by humans. With minimal technology they have created masterpieces. To deny that is to forget where we have come from. Once we create a self sustaining model, equality is sure to be the next step." Astra spoke with absolute conviction. The treatment on Krypton that she had received just by simply being a twin still was carried in her heart. Now that Astra had nearly solved the preservation aspect of this world, she wanted to make it as close as possible to a utopia. 

Stella sighed. "Like most of your plans, you are impossibly idealistic, General." Though she said that, Stella had a smile on her face. Astra's conviction had always been what drew her back in and made her want to dedicate herself to Astra. Though they may not have shared the same views on humans, the idea of a peaceful place where all were equal was too appealing for Stella to not try and create it. Then she shook her head and clapped Astra's shoulder. "I follow your vision as always. If it were not for your ideals, we would all be hidden away like a dirty secret."

  
_

 

The most obvious difference between Astra and Maxima was that the queen was very upfront about her desire to rule Earth as it’s queen and have people worship her. The rest of the plan wasn’t that much different, which was why Maxima followed Astra at all. Maxima too wanted to save the planet and create a home for all of them. And thus she scoffed slightly at Astra’s talk about equality. “Well I have to say I think I underestimated you advisor, she seems to know exactly that this plan of yours is foolish. We will never be equals, we will always be Gods amongst the humans. They will try to get their world back the second you turn off Myriad. That is not equality. You should let me borrow your advisor sometime. Let me see how good her ‘advice’ really is,” she said putting some extra emphasis on advice. 

Alex was pretty sure she was just pushing Astra’s buttons at this point but she was still worried about Astra’s reaction.

 

~

 

"She is not a thing to be borrowed," Astra replied. "Touch her without her express permission and I will make sure to teach you why it was I who rose to power during the riots and not you." Her words were much more soft, though the anger was still clear in her eyes. 

Stella moved her hand off of Astra shoulder. The memory of when the Fort Rozz aliens had finally risen up against the guards was still quite strong in her mind. She had spent most of it keeping Raa-Un safe from those who would have tried to harm the young girl and so she hadn't seen most of the fighting. But she would never forget the image of Astra walking towards her, Non behind as well as several other Kryptonians from the military. All of them were heavily armed as they had gone to the supply room first when the chaos had broken out and they were also all covered in blood of various colors. Astra had asked her group if Stella had ever hurt any of them and there had been a murmur of nos. At that point Astra had offered Stella her hand. There had been other groups, but none had thought to ally with the guards or at least some of the guards. Through that, Astra had been able to get the codes for the control room and force people to listen to her. It hadn't been easy, but Astra had restored order. The rest was history. "General," Stella stated. "You have nothing to fear on that account. In fact you would not need to move a finger yourself." She looked over at Maxima, clearly throwing herself into the threat as well. While Stella may have despised Alex, her loyalty to Astra came first.

 

_

 

“I really don’t understand your fascination with one simple human. But that’s none of my business really. Let me know when you get tired of her, at least she has some spunk and backbone unless some others of her species. Most of them are really just boring,” Maxima said without even acknowledging Stella coming to Astra’s support. “And you,” she said turning fully towards Alex for the first time. “You come find me if you ever get tired of the General. Since you are equals that shouldn’t be a problem,” she said adding another jab to their discussion. “But now I will have to leave. There’s some other people I need to talk to and I don’t want to impose on your night of celebration any longer. General.” 

With that Maxima turned, not without giving Alex a very not subtle wink, and vanished between the mass of people. Alex almost sagged with relief when the queen finally left; the conversation had definitely gone into territory she wasn’t at all comfortable with and she could only assume in what mood it must have put Astra.

 

~

 

The look on Astra's face once Maxima turned away was one of pure rage. A shiver ran through the General's body with how powerful the emotion was. It wasn't that she didn't trust Alex to stay by her side, but the very concept of her being with someone else was more than enough to bring anger to Astra's heart. She had been burnt by the people she'd loved before when it came to loyalty. She didn't want to risk that happening again. Astra shut her eyes and took a breath. Then she turned to Stella. "I think I will also be taking my leave. Maxima was the only other person I really was required to talk to." Her lieutenant just nodded. Setting Astra off further was extremely unwise, despite the other woman's usual ability to set her emotions aside when it came to making decisions. Astra looked at Alex and tilted her head. Even just looking at the other woman made her heart become more at ease and that was a terrifying thing to acknowledge. "Shall we?" she asked, her eyes softening, and Astra held out her hand.

 

_

 

The look on Astra’s face made Alex shudder ever so slightly even though it wasn’t directed at her. She was torn when Astra announced that she wanted to leave now. Of course Alex wanted to leave as soon as possible, but with the mood Astra was in now she wasn’t sure how the remainder of the night would play out. Alex was not really in the mood for any intimacy after the conversation with Maxima. Too many difficult topics had been brought up and she would rather be alone now. But for the same reason she anticipated that Astra would want to ‘reclaim’ her, although she would probably call it ‘show Alex how much she meant to her’. 

But naturally she took Astra’s hand and nodded. “Of course, General,” she said gently, hoping that Astra would calm down quickly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We leave the party and Astra and Alex have some alone time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story has its rating for a reason. And now we will get there.  
> Thanks to everyone who commented, asked a question and made suggestions. We are so happy that people like this verse enough to engange.  
> Dialoge put in { } is Kryptonese. (Yes, we were too lazy to translate it.)

Having Alex's hand in hers, Astra lead their way through the crowd. There were a few looks and some people who gave off sneers at Alex, but there wasn't any trouble for Astra leaving. Most of the Kryptonians were now used the the antisocial nature of their General. So long as she made an appearance and did her duties, no one complained. At least not outwardly. She did make a beeline straight for her personal chambers, not bothering to ask Alex if she wanted to be there or not. Astra shut the door, causing it to clank shut much louder than it usually did. She was still angry at Maxima and Stella. In fact she was angry at all of the Kryptonians. Without speaking to Alex, Astra moved further into her room. She wanted Alex there, but Astra knew that she was too angry to even begin to speak about the night. She took another breath and then spoke. "Would you help me get this off?" she asked Alex, gesturing to her dress.

 

_

 

On the way out, with Astra holding her hand, Alex tried her hardest to ignore the looks and sneers around them. But with Maxima’s words still fresh in her mind it was so much harder than usual. She felt small and tolerated. She desperately wanted a drink or two now that they were away from all the prying eyes. 

She had expected Astra to lead them to her chambers so that didn’t surprise her at all but she still flinched as the door slammed shut with more force than necessary. She remained close to the door when Astra moved further into the room but then stepped up to her when asked for help. “Of course,” she answered gently her hands moving to the zipper easily. But as soon as she had pulled it down she stepped away again towards the bar Astra had in her chambers. It was always stocked with Astra’s favorites but also held liquor that wouldn’t kill Alex. She poured herself a glass of bourbon and ice and took a sip before speaking up again. “You want something?” she asked looking at Astra’s now barely clad form through the mirror.

 

~

 

Her dress off, Astra picked the garment up and draped it across a chair. She didn't feel the need to hide her scars from Alex. The woman had already seen Astra completely without clothes so there was no point. Moving to sit down in a different chair, Astra sighed and tilted her head back, shutting her eyes. She just let herself listen to Alex moving around the room. It was reassuring. When Alex asked her if she wanted anything, Astra looked up and over at her. She gave a thought to having a drink, but then just shook her head. "No, thank you. I'm all set." Then she dropped her head back down. There was no one else who she would ever let herself be this vulnerable with. It would have been easy for Alex to have killed her right then, with a kryptonite weapon of course. Alex was the only human who was allowed to use them as she was part of the hunt against Kara. But Astra didn't even think of that. Instead she just sighed, trying to force the anger out of herself.

 

_

 

When Astra declined Alex just shrugged her shoulders and emptied her glass in one go before refilling it instantly. She just wanted to forget this night and all the doubt it had brought back up. She couldn’t even bring herself to go and comfort Astra, something she would usually do. But more often than not they would end up in bed together after and Alex really wasn’t in the mood. Neither for sex nor for comforting Astra. After all this had been Astra’s choice. Alex had asked her to keep their relationship under wraps and only have her be her advisor, but that would have meant that Alex wouldn’t have been able to spend the night in Astra’s chambers and Astra had not been willing to let other people dictate their relationship. But of course it wasn’t Astra who had to live with the fallout. 

Alex emptied the second glass more slowly, sighing when the alcohol burned its way down her throat and started to warm up her insides. She refilled her glass again before she eventually turned around towards Astra. Her eyes swept over Astra’s body; she knew every inch of it intimately, every scar, every imperfection. None of that had ever bothered her, Astra was undeniably beautiful. She was a good leader, the best Alex could have hoped for, could have wished for, and she respected her deeply for everything she did for their planet. And yes, she loved her, among a myriad of complicated emotions and problems, she truly did, but in moments like this she wondered if it was enough and if Astra truly felt the same for her, or if she would tire of her one day like Maxima had predicted.

 

~

 

Struggling to get her thoughts under control, Astra couldn't stop thinking about the words that Alex might get bored of her. The fear that Alex would leave her from someone else was constantly in the back of her mind. Non had gotten bored of her. Who was to say Alex wouldn't? Astra had never ordered her to and she didn't want to. That wouldn't make it a real relationship. Astra sat up again and then put her elbows on her knees. Putting her head in her hands, Astra sighed and then looked up at Alex. "You wouldn't get bored of me, would you?" she asked, her voice soft.

 

_

 

The question genuinely surprised Alex, it wasn’t something she thought she would ever hear Astra say. And she didn’t quite get why it seemed to bother her this much. Why would Alex ever want to leave Astra? And quite honestly she wasn’t sure that was even a real option. The alcohol was starting to take effect and she had to struggle hard to not give a snappy answer. Why would Astra even worry about her leaving when she could just order her to stay, or do whatever she wanted? It wasn’t a good time for Astra to ask that question because thanks to Maxima’s words Alex wasn’t sure anything about their relationship was even real. And it made her frustrated and angry and the alcohol only fueled her insecurities. “Shouldn’t I be the one worried about that?” she asked her voice sounding flat and defeated despite the anger she was feeling. Still she couldn’t bring herself to lash out at Astra when she looked so small and vulnerable.

 

~

 

Taken aback, Astra blinked and sat up slightly. "What?" She frowned, trying to think of anything she would have done to cause Alex to doubt her. True, she hadn't really ever voiced a lot of her feelings towards Alex besides the other woman's beauty and intelligence. Even with how vulnerable she could let herself be with Alex, there was one realm that she had kept to herself and that had been her heart. "Surely you must know how I-" she stopped herself, biting her lip. To say she loved Alex now would be too risky. Then she continued again. "I would never, Alex. Maxima knows nothing about what you mean to me. After what I went through with Non, you should know I wouldn't ever do that to another person."

 

_

 

Alex didn’t know what to say. Astra was the General, the victor in this war. And Alex was just alive because Astra spared her. Possibly because she had already been fascinated by her back then, but maybe just because she had been close to Kara and had hoped to be able to use her. Astra was a brilliant strategist and she always did things with a reason. 

So how was Alex supposed to know that keeping her close now was any different? She just didn’t know anymore after Maxima’s words and all the looks and whispers throughout the night. She was also aware that she was being unfair, Astra had always, or almost always, treated her like an equal. She let Alex see sides of her no one else ever got to see; that couldn’t mean nothing, right? Because it made Astra vulnerable in a way she would never allow herself to be otherwise. It showed that she trusted Alex in a way she didn’t trust anyone else.

With a sigh Alex put down her glass and crossed the distance between them quickly. Hitching up her dress she straddled Astra and pushed her back into the chair with one hand against her sternum. “I just … tonight was hard Astra. I just don’t want to think about it anymore.”

 

~

 

Astra let Alex push her back and she nodded. "Alright. If you don't want to think about it, you don't have to." She let her eyes roam up Alex's body and Astra swallowed. There was no mistaking how much she enjoyed having Alex on top and taking control when it came to sex, but Astra wasn't exactly sure if that was what Alex would want after tonight. "Is there something else that I can do to help take your mind off of it?" She couldn't help her question sounding a little hopeful. Astra found a great deal of reassurance in being able to touch Alex and feel her body next to hers and so she would never turn Alex down. She did hope that Alex wouldn't say that leaving Astra was what she wanted.

 

_

 

Alex was in a weird mood, to say the least. She wasn’t really in the mood for sex, but she was very much in a mood to dominate Astra. It was like she needed to prove to herself that she was still in control of herself, of the situation. And the bedroom was the only place she could do that without causing a scene. She knew she was walking a thin line here, using sex to reestablish her self-worth instead of bonding with her lover. “No, there isn’t,” she said shaking her head. Nothing short of Astra turning off Myriad would be able to really reassure her. And she knew that just wasn’t possible. The fallout of shutting off Myriad now would be disastrous for the planet because people would start fighting for dominance almost instantly. Turning off Myriad would, if it ever became possible, be a slow process of gradually turning its effects down while stopping to influence humans simultaneously. 

Leaning down to Astra’s neck she sank her teeth into the skin there. With a human she would have drawn blood with the sheer force but it would have no other effect on Astra than arouse her. Then she pulled back and got up. 

“Take off your clothes and lie down on your stomach,” she ordered while she started to take off her jewelry and dress. There was a sheath strapped to the inside of her thigh, lined with lead to block the effects of the kryptonite dagger inside. She opened the straps and took out the dagger laying it down onto the table. She needed Astra to be more vulnerable tonight and while she had no intention of using the dagger the effect of it being out of its sheath should be enough to weaken Astra’s powers.

 

~

 

The bite had Astra almost immediately tilting her head to give Alex more access and when Alex pulled away she gave a disappointed sigh. Alex's orders sent a wave of heat through Astra and she licked her lips. Without a complaint, Astra stood, pulled off her bra and underwear and went to her bed, lying down exactly how Alex had told her to. The anticipation of whatever Alex had in store had Astra straining to try and figure out what Alex was doing. When the now familiar feeling of the kryptonite lowered her powers, a shiver ran through Astra's body. It meant that things would hurt which was something that Astra had discovered that she very much enjoyed when it was Alex who did it. Astra bit her lip, preventing herself from asking any questions, even though she very much wanted to.

 

_

 

Alex took her time undressing, but she didn’t shed her bra and panties. She was making Astra wait, giving her time to think about what Alex might do to her. She knew it would have Astra ready and wet in no time at all. It also exposed her to the Kryptonite longer, so it could take full effect before she got started.

When she was undressed she emptied her still filled glass without haste before she walked over to one of the dressers, where they kept some toys. Picking out the bigger one of the two strap-ons she put it on, securing the straps until it was nice and snug. 

She wanted to fuck Astra and she wanted her to feel it for days. She wanted her to be reminded of who made her feel this way whenever she sat down or got up or pretty much moved in any way. She was Alex Danvers and she was no one's toy or property.

Grabbing the dagger she finally, overall it had been about ten to fifteen minutes since Astra had laid down, moved to the bed. Climbing on top of Astra, straddling her waist, she leant forward bringing the dagger into Astra’s field of vision as she supported herself on her hands on either side of Astra’s head. 

“I bet you are dripping already,” she whispered into Astra’s ear. Moving her hair away to the other side of her neck with her free hand she sunk her teeth into Astra’s neck again, not quite as hard as before, but hard enough to leave a visible mark. “At least I hope you are because I will fuck you hard.”

 

~

 

By the time Alex was straddling her, Astra was pathetically wet. It was just how much Alex affected her and Astra knew what was coming. The anticipation was always what got her, so when Alex leaned over and spoke, Astra was almost ready to beg. She wasn't going to, not yet, but Astra was completely ready to submit to the other woman. Her hands clenched the sheet when Alex bit her again and Astra whimpered. She didn't know if she was allowed to speak, but if she wasn't Astra didn't want Alex to stop. Instead she pressed herself up against Alex. With her powers gone due to the kryptonite, she knew that it would actually be a struggle to oppose anything Alex wanted, which only served to turn Astra on more.

 

_

 

Seeing Astra so willing to submit to her soothed her anger considerably and Astra letting her control the situation without a word gave her some of her security back. Astra had to know that Alex could kill her easily now, just one quick swipe with the blade, Astra wouldn’t even have the chance to fight back. But Astra trusted her completely and that unlike anything else reassured Alex. Leaning down again she let her tongue swipe over the angry mark she had just created. “Such a good girl,” she cooed rocking against Astra when she pressed up against her. “If you continue to be good you may pleasure me later,” she added letting her nails scratch down Astra’s back, leaving another set of angry red marks on her skin. “You may talk if you want,” she added almost as an afterthought. “I want to hear you.” 

Astra tended to hold back her sounds of pleasure if she wasn’t allowed to speak and tonight Alex needed to hear every moan and every whimper she would coax out of the other woman.

Moving down Astra’s body she pushed her legs apart and knelt down between them before grabbing Astra’s hips firmly.

“On your knees,” she ordered. “Put that ass in the air for me.”

 

~

 

"I'm always good," Astra objected the second that Alex told her that she could talk. It was a little dangerous to talk back, but it could also spur Alex on to be even more controlling which was a risk that Astra was willing to take. The push and pull when Alex was so clearly in charge was mostly a front that Astra put up out of pride. If she were less of a leader, Astra had no doubt that she'd let Alex claim her again and again without so much as a word against her. But the stinging of the marks on neck and back spoke another story and reminded Astra that here, in her bed, there was only one person in charge and it wasn't her. 

She pushed herself to her knees and elbows, letting Alex see everything. There was no denying how much Alex affected her now, not when the other woman could see the evidence. Astra licked her lips and shut her eyes in anticipation. Alex could do anything, touch her anywhere, and it wasn't like Astra was going to stop her. She didn't want to.

 

_

 

“Is that so?” Alex asked in a low voice leaning down low over Astra, pressing her breasts against her back, making Astra feel the strap on very clearly in the process too. She actually liked it when Astra talked back, or even fought back a little; it always made things more interesting in the end. 

When Astra pushed to her elbows and knees Alex couldn’t hold back a groan at the sight. “Someone is eager,” she said teasingly. “And I haven’t even really started yet. How long do you think you will last like this?” she asked her voice taunting now. Pulling Astra closer by her hips she let the strap on glide through Astra’s wetness while she leaned over her back again. Her hands found Astra’s breasts, pinching both nipples roughly. Again her teeth sunk into Astra’s skin, this time at the junction of neck and shoulder; when she was done with her Astra would be covered in her marks. 

Alex rocked her hips slowly, dragging the length of the strap-on through Astra’s folds, lubricating it in the process. Then she pulled back and despite her words to fuck Astra, ready or not, she let her fingers drag through Astra’s folds once before pushing inside with two fingers to make sure she wouldn’t do any real damage.

 

~

 

Astra groaned and nodded. "Of course I am." Though the thoughts of any back talk faded in Astra's mind when Alex pressed against her. Astra swallowed and her hands balled up some of the sheets as she felt the strap on against her. "But I'll last as long as you want me to." Her voice hitched on the end, the rough touches from Alex, though not unexpected, still having a large effect. The fact that Alex could mark her, show her that she belonged to Alex made Astra feel incredibly wanted and she loved that Alex was the only person who made her feel that way. Astra wished that she could carry the marks from Alex everywhere, but as soon as the knife was put away, they would fade and faster than Astra wanted them too. 

"Rao, Alex," Astra moaned as the other other woman's fingers went inside her. She knew that it was Alex making sure that she was ready to take her and the fact that even in these moments Alex was thinking about making sure she wouldn't actually hurt her made Astra's heart ache while also making her more desperate for Alex to just take her. "I'm fine, you don't have to wait."

 

_

 

Alex almost growled at the hitch in Astra’s voice despite her tough talk. “You better, because this will be a long night,” she touted. Alex was frustrated and while her anger had subsided she still had a lot of pent up energy she needed to work off and she fully planned on getting all of it out of her system. 

Astra’s words to just take her made her shudder more than the wetness she found between her thighs and they also managed to make her own sex clench with want for the first time. Letting the dagger drop beside the bed she grabbed Astra by her hip with one hand while she lined the strap-on up with her center with her other hand. Usually she would push in slowly and then pick up the pace after Astra had gotten used to being spread open but this time she pushed in with one swift move of her hips, burying the toy deep within her lover’s sex. She paused a moment, gripping Astra’s hips firmly with both hands, definitely leaving bruises, before pulling out slowly.

 

~

 

The sudden insertion makes Astra cry out and she shifted, trying to better take all of the strap on. She had been right that she was ready, but Alex's swift movement hadn't been what Astra was expecting. Astra is almost grateful that Alex had gotten out the kryptonite knife because otherwise her bedsheets would have been shredded with the force of her hands. "Fuck," she groaned and Astra tensed, trying not to follow Alex's movement. The slow movement only made her want Alex to move faster.

 

_

 

Alex repeated the move a few times, pushing in fast and deep and then pulling out slowly, all the while holding Astra steady with her hands on her hips, trying to coax more of those delicious sounding cries out of her lover. It was exhilarating to see Astra fight to keep that last shred of control and she was determined to break through that last barrier of pride and make Astra a puddle of raw need. Need for her.

Eventually she picked up the pace, pulling back faster just to push right back in. Her own breathing became heavier too, accompanied by little grunts due to the effort. 

But when she saw the first signs that Astra was getting close to her first release she stopped, the toy buried deep within Astra, Alex’s hips pressed as close to Astra’s ass as possible. She knew Astra would not come without her permission, but she wasn’t quite done yet. Not by a long shot. 

Leaning down over Astra’s back again she grabbed her breasts and kneaded them not too gently while she only moved her hips the tiniest bit. 

“Beg for it,” she husked into Astra’s ear, her breath falling in heavy puffs against Astra’s neck and sweat dripping from her forehead. “Beg me to make you come.”

 

~

 

When Alex stopped, Astra couldn't help but groan in frustration. She had been so close and the lack of movement was particularly cruel in her mind. Astra's hips tried to get any sort of movement, but with Alex unmoving and leaning over her, it was impossible. Her own breathing was ragged and it took Astra a few moments to catch it so she could actually speak. She was far too close to even think about resisting. All Astra wanted was Alex. "Please, Alex," Astra begged, her body pushing up against the other woman's desperately. "I'm so close, I need you to let me come, please."

 

_

 

“Such a good girl,” Alex cooed into Astra’s ear, gently brushing some hair out of her face that was plastered to her forehead and pushing it behind her ear. Then she pressed a gentle kiss to her neck before grabbing her throat roughly with one hand, squeezing lightly. It wasn’t enough to really block the airflow into Astra’s lungs, but enough to make breathing a little more difficult, even more so because she was breathing heavily anyway. 

“I want you to remember something,” she growled. “You are mine. And no one else is allowed to touch you like this, to fuck you like this.” She accentuated every word with a rough thrust of her hips. Her hand that wasn’t on Astra’s throat found its way between her legs where she started to simultaneously circle Astra’s clit. “No one can make you come but me. Not Stella, not Maxima, not even yourself. I am the only one who can make you come. Do you understand? Tell me.” She released her hold on Astra’s throat slightly so she would be able to talk, but didn’t let go completely while she continued to pump into Astra with hard and fast thrusts. “Tell me who owns all your orgasms, tell me who is the only one who can make you beg for it.”

 

~

 

By now, Astra's arms were starting to ache slightly and her body trembled with every thrust from Alex. The words from the other woman just had her nodding until Alex released her throat. "Only you, I promise," Astra said, her voice rough with need. "I am yours. No one else makes me feel like this. I only want to be with you. You own me so completely. It's you who gets to see me like this, to make me come so undone. I wish I could bare your marks on me longer." Astra could feel the orgasm coming and she gasped, trying not to let it overtake her before she got permission. "Alex, please, I can't hold on anymore. I need you, please. I don't want anyone else but you, but I'm so close." The words tumbled out of her mouth without Astra really thinking about them or what the implications of them were. The only thing that she really had the thought process to handle was the overwhelming desire for Alex to let her come.

 

_

 

Alex knew, she could hear it in Astra’s voice and see it in the way her body trembled beneath her, that she was about to explode and that she was trying very hard not to come without her permission. There were nights when she would deny Astra that permission for a long time, especially if she wanted a reason to punish her, or sometimes it was Astra who came without permission on purpose so Alex could punish her. But tonight was not one of those nights because quite honestly Alex wasn’t sure she would not become too extreme if she were to punish Astra in the mood she was in. 

{Such a good girl,} she murmured again. {Come for me, love. I want to hear you cry my name when you come.} And with that she picked up her pace even more, her fingers flicking over Astra’s clit at the same speed.

 

~

 

It didn't take long at all once Alex picked up her pace and Astra cried out her name, white lights dancing at the edges of her vision with how powerful the orgasm was. Her whole body was shaking and Astra lost the strength to hold herself up. Collapsing onto her bed, Astra shuddered with the aftershock and just let her body ride out the feelings. Weakly, she felt for Alex, tugging on the other woman's arm when she found it. It was strange to not be able to pull Alex closer, even though Astra knew she was using all the strength she could manage at the moment. {Come here?} It was a soft request, but Astra hoped that Alex would let her hold her. True, Astra's body was still sensitive and would be for quite some time, but she wanted to have Alex near.

 

_

 

Alex shuddered when Astra cried out her name as she came. She was certain that every Kryptonian in the vicinity would have heard it, but she didn’t care. She slowed down her movements as Astra was shuddering and shaking until she eventually collapsed, making the strap-on slip out completely. 

“In a moment,” she answered Astra’s question before she got up. Her own legs were feeling a bit like jelly from the exertion but she managed to get what she wanted relatively quickly.

Returning to the bed she handed Astra a bottle of water, putting a second one on the nightstand for herself. Sitting down on the bed beside Astra she pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Let me take care of these marks first and then you can hold me,” she said gently. Of course it wasn’t really necessary, Astra would heal as soon as the dagger was back in its sheath, but this was as much about comfort as it was about health. Putting some Aloe into her hands she slowly rubbed it into the skin where she had left scratch and bite marks on Astra’s body and on her hips. She had actually drawn some blood there as her fingernails had dug into Astra’s skin. “But just so you know, I’m not done with you.”


	4. chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> uhm ... more smut :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for sticking with this story and your continued support. It really means a lot to us that other people enjoy this verse as much as we do.

There was a grumble of disappointment when Alex left, but Astra perked up again when she returned. Taking the bottle of water, Astra shifted so that she could drink it without choking and her whole body shuddered. The marks that Alex had left on her skin ached as she moved, but it wasn't particularly painful. Even under the influence of kryptonite, Astra had an incredibly high pain tolerance. She hadn't noticed that Alex had drawn blood. When Alex placed her hands on her, Astra flinched slightly. "That makes your hands cold," she stated, though the coolness wasn't much of a problem. Waiting until Alex was finished, Astra then turned towards her. "I didn't think you were, but I still need a few moments to recover. That was..." Astra's body gave a small jolt with the memory. "amazing." She reached out again, tugging Alex close. "Come lie down with me."

 

_

 

“It soothes the skin,” she said while she was slowly working the Aloe into Astra’s skin working some knots out of the strained muscles as she did so. “I know you don’t really need it but it should feel nice anyway,” she added.

She put the Aloe on the nightstand and grabbed her own water, drinking greedily. And only then did she allow Astra to pull her down beside her. Alex’s own muscles were burning too and she needed a bit of a break just as much as Astra did. “Anything in particular you want me to do after you got some rest?”

 

~

 

Astra's only response was a small hum of satisfaction. Alex's hands working across her body even like this was amazing. Her body did carry a large amount of stress which very rarely got released. Sex was a good way for it, but the knots didn't often get released. She also enjoyed Alex taking care of her, though Astra wasn't going to say that out loud. She wasn't sure which was better sometimes, the rough sex or the aftercare. 

Wrapping herself around Alex, Astra placed her head on Alex's shoulder and then gave a contented sigh. "I'd like to be able to touch you at some point," she said softly. The desires to kiss and feel Alex's skin beneath her fingertips were ones that often got set aside when it came to Alex being dominant. "Otherwise I don't really have much of a preference." Astra was in a mood where she wanted to be allowed to worship Alex's body and show her the depth of feelings that she had for her, but since that clearly wasn't what Alex wanted, Astra wasn't going to offer it up only to be turned down.

 

_

 

Putting her arms around Astra she pulled her close but only hummed in response to her request while she considered her options. Nights were Astra didn’t get to touch Alex at all were few and far between, usually when Alex wanted to punish Astra. Those nights she would make Astra watch as she fucked herself. She had found that a way more effective punishment than inflicting pain could ever be. But so far Astra had given her no reason to deny her even though her own physical arousal was still more of a slow burn, it was nothing she really needed to take care of.

“Well you will have to earn that,” she eventually murmured into Astra’s hair.

Letting go of Astra Alex turned to lie down on her back pulling Astra on top of her. “As much as I enjoyed fucking you from behind … I couldn’t see your face. So I want you to ride me, so I can see everything. Put you hands behind your back. You are not allowed to touch me until I tell you. If you fail we will stop. I will make you watch as I fuck myself and then I’ll go to my chambers. Do you understand?”

 

~

 

Astra wasn't totally surprised when Alex told her that she had to earn the right to touch her. But it still made her frown slightly. Giving Alex pleasure back was something Astra constantly sought. The real punishment, in her eyes, was when Alex left. Astra hated being alone with a passion, which was ironic given that she pushed all of the other Kryptonians who would have gladly taken a place in her bed away. Regardless, it made her very determined to keep Alex here. Her hands went behind her back, clasping them lightly. "I understand," she said, eyes meeting Alex's in a show of determination. "Though without my hands, it's going to be a very tricky matter to put you back inside me. Unless you have a solution?" Astra lowered herself, knowing that Alex would be able to feel the arousal that had come roaring back to life. She raised an eyebrow, giving the woman beneath her the appearance of a challenge.

 

_

 

Alex cocked an eyebrow at Astra’s little challenge. She could feel Astra’s arousal though and knew she was enjoying this despite the front she put up.

“Well no one said I cannot touch you,” she said letting her hand run up and down Astra’s thighs lazily and then eventually higher to her breasts. She kneaded them almost gently in comparison to earlier and played with Astra’s nipples for a bit before sitting up and taking one into her mouth.

“Just tell me when you’re ready and I will help you,” she said between nibbles and licks before switching to the other breast.

 

~

 

Astra agreed. "I didn't see any harm in clarifying." She watched as Alex's hand moved, anticipation sending shivers down her spine. With her body being more sensitive, even a gentle touch would have been enough. So when Alex's mouth was on her, Astra groaned and pushed forward into the feeling. It was torture to not be able to reach up and thread her fingers through Alex's hair to pull her in closer, but the faint promise of being able to do that later was enough. It didn't really take much time till Astra knew she was ready, but she waited a few moments. It was still a little embarrassing how easily that her body reacted to Alex. She swallowed and then spoke. "Now I'm ready." The arrogant tone from before was gone, replaced with want.

  
  


_

 

Alex enjoyed teasing Astra like this, knowing that Astra wanted to touch her badly. Also she kept her caresses light and gentle knowing that Astra would prefer if she was a bit rougher. Still she could tell that it was enough to get Astra ready, the groan and the way she moved being a clear indicator of that.

Only when Astra announced that she was ready did Alex tighten her grip on her hips and sank her teeth into one of Astra’s breasts to leave a mark there too. 

“Rise,” she instructed, one of her hands going to the strap-on to help guide it in, while her other hand guided Astra’s hip.

Licking her lips her eyes were glued to the fake cock as Astra lowered herself down onto it and it vanished inch by inch.

 

~

 

It took a second for Astra to position herself properly, as without her own hands to balance, she was dependent on Alex to get it right. She went slowly, both to give herself time to adjust and to give Alex a bit of a show. By the time the toy was completely inside Astra, she was already aching to move. The only problem was that she didn't know if she was allowed. Experimentally, she moved her hips and then waited. She was sure that Alex would tell her whether she could continue or not, but it was very difficult not to start. Astra was patient, most of the time. At least when it came to this. Tonight she wanted to prove to Alex just how much control she had and that Astra was completely obedient to her. For that to work, Astra would have to use all of her self control.

 

_

 

Alex watched Astra with hungry eyes taking all of the strap-on in, then her eyes swept slowly over Astra’s whole body. Her hands wandered upwards to cover Astra’s breasts yet again. “You are so beautiful like this,” she whispered. “When you are just Astra, all mine, unrestrained, uncontrolled, your hair a mess because I just fucked you.” Due to her hands clasped behind her back Astra’s back was arched and her chest was puffed out. “You are always beautiful, but especially like this. The desire burning in your eyes, your muscles quivering from the strain not to move although you want to so badly.”

Alex let her hands scratch down over Astra’s breasts and her stomach, one hand settling on Astra’s hip again while the other dipped between Atra’s legs. She found Astra’s clit hard and pulsing and circled it slowly with one finger. She almost wished she had attached the insert to the strap-on now because seeing Astra like this was starting to really affect her too.

“Come on baby. Fuck yourself on my fake cock. I wanna see you let go. You can come whenever you’re ready. I just want to see you and hear you come for me.” Again she circled Astra’s clit, applying a little more pressure this time.

  
  


~

 

As Alex spoke, Astra could only grit her teeth and stay as still as possible. When Alex called her beautiful, Astra actually felt like she was. It wasn't that Astra thought of herself as unattractive, but she never really thought of herself as an object of desire, not until Alex had educated her what it was like to be wanted. She whimpered when Alex touched her clit and her muscles tensed so that she wouldn't jolt forward like she wanted to. Hearing the words that she had permission, Astra almost immediately started moving. She trusted Alex to help her stay balanced. Hopefully it would be enough as she wasn't sure what the punishment would be for falling over. She started out slowly, letting the heat build. It wasn't very long before she started moving faster, her breathing becoming much more labored. "Fuck," Astra groaned out as her tempo increased yet again. For a moment her eyes fluttered closed, the sensations of pleasure just slightly too overwhelming, but then they snapped back open and Astra looked down to hold Alex's gaze. Her fingernails dug into her skin as Astra moved, the desire to reach out and touch Alex still incredibly strong. But instead all Astra did was let her hips rock faster. Unlike earlier, the noises that she was making are more like soft sighs than anything else. At least until her eyes shut. Her words were a bit unintelligible at the start, but as Astra moved faster, the fact that she was almost chanting Alex's name became much more clear. She could feel her orgasm building and it only sped the pace of her hips. The wave of pleasure hit her and Astra continued to rock on top of Alex, her body shaking, until she couldn’t any longer. Her hands, thankfully, still remained clasped behind her back and Astra opened her eyes again, looking down at Alex, pleading. She wanted to be able to touch Alex, to kiss her. But instead she just waited, small shakes still running through her body.

 

_

 

At first when Astra started moving Alex stayed mostly passive, only steadying Astra by her hips feeling the movement under her hands. She observed mostly, watched Astra move, her muscles working in her thighs and her abs, watched the strap-on vanish inside of Astra again and again. She also didn’t move her hips letting Astra do all of the work while she just admired Astra getting closer and closer to her release, letting her just take what she wanted.

When Astra started to move faster Alex couldn’t hold back anymore though and gripping Astra’s hips a bit harder she started to push up into Astra, matching Astra’s rhythm thrust for thrust, their eyes locked with each other. 

She finally felt her own desire grow, her moans mingling with Astra’s chants, as Astra neared her climax. “Yes, baby. So good, so beautiful,” she whispered when Astra’s eyes finally closed as the pleasure became too intense. Her hand found Astra’s clit again and she flicked it trying to help Astra find her release. “Come for me {love},” she groaned. “Let me see you come.”

A wave of arousal hit her at the sight of Astra spasming through her release and when Astra’s eyes opened again Alex eyes were dark with desire. Sitting up her arms wrapped around Astra’s waist and arms, that were still clasped behind her back. “Kiss me,” she groaned, her hands falling to Astra’s ass as she started to push up into Astra with purpose.

 

~

 

The movement happening from Alex so soon after Astra had already come made her let out a moan. But since Alex wanted her to kiss her, Astra wasn't going to say stop. She dipped her head and pressed her lips to Alex's desperately. But then she pulled away slightly. "Can I touch you? Please?" Even now Astra had held on to her hands, not letting her own desires take total control. She leaned back down to kiss Alex again as that at least was allowed and shifted to try and kiss along her jawline. It only served to push the toy into her further and Astra stopped as her body shook slightly. "Please, Alex," she said again. "I've been so good. You said I was, please."

 

_

 

Alex moaned into the kiss only now realizing how much she really wanted Astra. She pushed her tongue forward claiming Astra’s mouth too as her own, kissing her deep and needy. Her hands were wandering over Astra’s ass, squeezing and scratching while she continued to push into her almost desperately.

“Come again. For me,” she panted, her muscles burning from the strain from the position they were in. “Come for me and you can do whatever you want with me.”

It was rare that Alex allowed Astra this free card, she usually wanted to stay at least partially in control. “You’ve been very good tonight. You earned it.”

 

~

 

She'd already been riding the high from the orgasm earlier and with how her body reacted to every movement, Astra knew it wouldn't be long before she came again. The promise of anything that she wanted with Alex was more than enough of a promise and her hips started moving with Alex. Her and Alex's movements were more than enough to send her over again and Astra broke the kiss. She moved to Alex's neck, biting it roughly as she came for the third time that night.

 

_

 

Alex groaned, a shudder running through her body as Astra came again. The groan turned into a full blown moan as Astra bit her neck. “Astra!” She gave a few more pushes to get Astra through her release, to let her ride out the third climax Alex had coaxed out of her. “God, Astra,” she whimpered as she let her head fall back to allow Astra better access. She still held onto Astra to steady her after her orgasm but she couldn’t wait for Astra to recover and do whatever with her. It could be anything really, Astra was far more unpredictable than Alex in that regard. Depending on her mood it could turn into hard and rough or just slow lovemaking for hours. And Alex couldn’t quite pinpoint what Astra was in the mood for tonight.

  
  


~

 

The second Astra's orgasm finished, she released her hands and greedily ran them up Alex's sides, moving to cup the other woman's face in them gently. Astra pulled Alex forward and kissed her softly, one hand staying on her cheek and the other moving to thread through Alex's hair. She needed time to actually recover so that she could give Alex pleasure, but for now this was good enough. Eventually, Astra felt like she could actually move and she pushed Alex backwards so they'd both fall over. It broke the kiss, but they were tangled together and the strap on was still inside Astra. She grinned and kissed Alex again, only for a moment. Then she reached down, undoing the straps and pulled the toy out of herself, sending a small aftershock of pleasure through her body. Tossing it away from them, Astra climbed back on top of Alex, her hands moving to Alex's biceps, pinning her to the bed. "I can do anything?" she asked again, her voice slightly breathless.

 

_

 

The change of pace made Alex whimper into the kiss. She let Astra take over and just followed her lead. She had said Astra could do whatever she wanted and she would of course stand by her word. She was leaning into Astra’s hand though, now desperate to feel Astra’s hand on her body and kissed her back as gently, but let Astra control the kiss too. She gasped lightly when Astra pushed them backwards, she could feel them still being connected by the toy. She moaned lightly when Astra pulled the strap-on out and tossed it aside. 

When Astra pinned her to the bed she arched into her lightly, pressing their bodies together as much as possible. She struggled lightly against the hold, not because she wanted to break free, but more to coax Astra into being a little rougher. “That’s what I said. And I mean it of course. Everything.”

 

~

 

Astra smiled and she rolled off of Alex. "Good. Don't move and you aren't allowed to say anything." The words were a command, though not one that would cause Myriad to affect Alex. She propped herself on her side and let her gaze trail across Alex's body. "Because I am going to take my time." Astra lifted a single finger and brushed it across the plane of Alex's stomach. "I know I don't really punish you. But I suppose this is payback for when you said I can't touch you." As she spoke, Astra let her finger trail gently upwards. "So I'm going to touch you as much as I want to." She then splayed her hand out, letting her nails run across Alex's skin, her hand just beneath Alex's breasts. "As softly and as slowly as I want to." Pushing her hand up, Astra's fingers ghosted over where she was sure Alex would want her to touch the most and then rested her hand on Alex's collarbone. "You really are beautiful, every inch of you," Astra murmured, shifting herself a little closer.

  
_

 

Alex huffed and rolled her eyes at Astra’s words, but she didn’t talk. Although she wasn’t sure she would be able to follow those orders, both of them. But she was determined to try and give it her best effort.

Alex shuddered under Astra’s touch and it took a lot of her willpower to not arch into Astra’s hands. Instead her hands fisted into the sheets and she let out another whimper. Inside her head she was screaming for Astra to fuck her already, that she could touch her after as much as she wanted but she clenched her jaw, not a single word slipping out.

 

~

 

"If I could spend every hour of every day just looking at you, I would," Astra said wistfully. Her hand moved again, lightly cupping Alex's breast and kneading the soft flesh beneath her hand. "I know how badly you want me to fuck you, I can see it. Rao, it turns me on." She moved her hand to the other breast and did the same. Then she let go and trailed her hand down Alex's stomach, hovering across her hips. Then she dipped her hand lower, finger glancing across Alex's clit.

 

_

 

Alex rolled her eyes at Astra and huffed. It was hard to believe those words when Astra could have anyone, anytime. She probably wouldn't even have to use Myriad, the lure of power accompanied with the fact that Astra was a very attractive woman would be enough in most cases.

Another small whimper fell from her lips when Astra kneaded her breasts, way too gently. Usually Alex was quite vocal during sex, cursing like a sailor and voicing where and how she wanted to be touched although it wasn’t necessary because Astra knew those things perfectly. Her knuckles turned white from the strain not to move or to talk, she would lose the battle eventually but not yet.

She already came pathetically close to losing though when Astra touched her clit but with a groan she managed to keep the jerk of her hips to a minimum instead of moving against Astra’s hand like she wanted to. She was already pathetically wet and her eyes fluttered close as a jolt of pleasure hit her at the too light contact.

 

~

 

Astra raised an eyebrow, a grin playing across her lips. "That was close," she commented. Lazily, Astra pushed herself closer and pressed a kiss to Alex's stomach. She could see how hard it was for Alex to follow the orders and Astra couldn't really keep up the act. There was a reason she preferred to bottom. Not that topping wasn't fun, but when it got to this point Astra found it very hard to deny Alex what she wanted. "You can move now. Noises are ok, but no instructions." She moved her finger off of Alex's clit and slipped two fingers into Alex. Astra shifted downwards, pressing soft kisses alternated with hard bites.

 

_

 

Alex only glared at Astra at her comment but the effect was ruined when she quivered as Astra moved her kisses lower. It became almost impossible not to move and all her muscles were under strain from her effort not to move. “Astra!” The word came out as a long moan as soon as Astra allowed her to talk. She hissed lightly and held her breath for a moment, her muscles tensing even more, as Astra entered her for the first time that night.

“Fuck Astra,” she all but cried out as Astra started to nibble and bite, the slight burn from being stretched soon replaced by waves of pleasure. Her hands moved towards Astra’s back where she dug her nails into her skin as her body arched trying to get Astra deeper.

“Please,” she begged since she was not allowed to give Astra instructions. “Please fuck me.”

 

~

 

Looking up at Alex, Astra smiled. "As you wish." She started to move her fingers, creating a fast pace. Astra knew how close Alex was and there was certainly time for her to fuck Alex in other ways after this. Dipping her head, Astra's tongue hit her clit, matching the pace set with her fingers. It was a very sudden change from the slow and soft touches, but Astra knew that this is what Alex actually wanted.

 

_

 

Another cry broke loose as Astra started to push into her faster. She almost wished the dagger wasn’t out and reducing Astra’s power and speed because damn she needed this. She started to roll her hips in time with Astra’s thrusts, her moans growing louder and more unintelligible as she soared towards her release. She loved it when Astra took her like this, but it didn’t happen often because of Alex’s prominent dominant streak. She already felt her walls start to quiver around Astra’s fingers when Astra’s tongue started to flick her clit at the same fast pace. “Oh fuck. Yes. So close baby.” Her hands went to Astra’s head to keep her there and her hips canted harshly at the same frantic pace.

 

~

 

Astra gave a sort of grunt and shifted so that she could go faster. There was something different about getting Alex to come when she didn't have her powers. It wasn't that it was any better, but the fact that she actually got tired, that her body strained with Alex's made things very different. It was like Astra could pretend that she wasn't any different than any other human that Alex could have been with. Astra flattened her tongue, trying to give more pressure to Alex's clit in a hope that it would be enough pressure to push her lover over the edge.

 

_

 

When Astra picked up her pace yet again Alex started to all but chant Astra’s name under her breath, mixed up with moans and cries of pleasure. She was so close and because she had quite the workout herself earlier fucking Astra her muscles were burning and her body was covered in a fine sheen of sweat already. It had been a while since she had approached her orgasm this fast and when Astra pressed her flat tongue against her clit it was enough to send her soaring over the edge. Her whole body arched off the bed as her muscles tensed and spasmed and she cried out for Astra yet again.

 

~

 

Astra kept up her movements through the peak of the orgasm and then slowed down, letting Alex ride out the pleasure for as long as possible before finally stopping. She removed her fingers and then licked them off with a smile on her face. Then Astra climbed back up Alex's body, pressing kisses along the way. Eventually she reached Alex's lips and Astra leaned down, hovering just above her for a few moments before kissing her softly.

 

_

 

Alex slumped back onto the bed as the orgasm started to ebb away, only little aftershocks running through her body. She groaned when Astra pulled her fingers out and then moaned when she licked them clean. Alex’s chest was heaving and she felt boneless. Her muscles were twitching wherever Astra pressed her kisses and little moans fell off her lips, her body hyper sensitive at the moment. She didn’t even have the strength to move towards Astra or reach for her but she accepted the kiss happily, moaning at her own taste on Astra’s lips and tongue. “I want to taste you,” she murmured eventually. Her strength returned slowly and she started to gently caress Astra’s back, drawing lazy circles on her skin. “But I’m not quite ready to move yet.”

 

-

 

"Take your time," Astra returned as she shifted to settle into Alex's arms. "I'm not going anywhere." She shut her eyes and just let herself listen to the rise and fall of Alex's breathing. Astra was so tempted to speak more, to try and reassure Alex of what she meant to her, but with the mood Alex had been in before, Astra didn't think it was appropriate. Still, she felt completely at ease being here with Alex. Then the words of Maxima and Stella trickled back into her brain and Astra frowned. She wondered if people would start taking the connection between her and Alex seriously if Astra declared much more serious intentions. It might also put Alex more at risk. That thought made Astra shift and pull Alex in tighter. The thought of losing her was terrifying. Especially as Astra hadn't even told Alex the true depth of her feelings. She loved her. Even thinking it made Astra's heart beat just a little faster. But she couldn't say it out loud. There was still a small chance that Alex might be lying to get power or be like Non. "Alex..." she started, but then trailed off. Astra couldn't really think of anything else and she didn't want to ruin the moment.

 

_

 

The heaviness in her bones and the burn in all her muscles was deeply satisfying and she hummed contently, pulling Astra closer. Her bad mood had vanished and she was able to finally think a little more clearly now. Despite everything she knew that Astra had real feelings for her, she wouldn’t bother to go through all the trouble and fights just to be able to fuck her; there had to be more to it. But it was easy to forget that when she was under constant scrutiny by everyone, being ignored or hated on by Kryptonians and humans alike. 

When Astra spoke up she lifted her head slightly and looked at her expectantly. {What’s on your mind, love?} She knew she should at least apologize for her behavior earlier, but she wanted to hear what Astra had to say first.

 

~

 

Something about the look in Alex's eyes made Astra feel a bit braver. That and the use of Astra's native tongue. Very carefully she lifted up her hand and brushed Alex's cheek. {You are so important to me. I,} She paused and let out a breath. {What I feel for you terrifies me more than anything. But I do... I do love you. I know I don't say it... but after tonight you deserve to hear it.}

 

_

 

Alex leaned into Astra’s touch, but wasn’t quite sure how to react to Astra’s words. Astra had never really told her what she felt for her, what they really were. Yes, Alex was Astra’s advisor and they shared a bed quite regularly. But Astra was also the leader of the faction who had taken over Earth with a mind controlling device. 

But there was also the fact that they had shared a connection before Astra became the General; Alex knew there had been something there between them even when they had still been enemies. And Kara had seen it too. Her perfect Black Mercy world had been proof of that, since Astra and Alex had both been in it, Astra being Alex’s mentor which had been a close bond on Krypton. 

All of that made her believe Astra’s words even though she was aware that Astra manipulated her sometimes, it happened rarely, but it did happen. And therefore she couldn’t bring herself to say it back. At least not with those words. Leaning in she kissed Astra gently. Astra’s words meant alot to her and they made her heart beat faster. “You … I knew you were someone special when you helped me save Kara from the Black Mercy. Since then … you are very special to me too Astra. But things are difficult.”

 

~

 

There was a sigh from Astra. "I know." She hadn't expected Alex to say it back. Things were twisted in such a way that Astra wasn't even sure if she wanted Alex to say it. She probably wouldn't have believed it. "I'm not expecting anything to change, but I couldn't let you go through something like that again without knowing." She let out a huff. Some days, Astra wished things were different. That she and Alex could have met years before any of this. It was a silly and selfish whim, but it was there. Deep down, Astra knew that she wouldn't have changed anything. She would have made all of the same choices again. Her work here on Earth was important. It was keeping this world from splitting itself in two and no matter how much Kara tried to fight it, Astra's plans were working. In a strange way, Astra was protecting her niece's world. At least that's how she saw it. "I want you to be very clear about where my heart is, that's all. It's yours and will always be so." Astra's continued confession was incredibly risky and she could feel her heart pound rapidly against her chest. No matter how many times Alex had brought her begging to her knees, this felt so much more like a complete surrender.

 

_

 

The thought that had popped up about Kara had made her feel a bit sentimental. Alex knew she was doing the right thing, she was doing everything she could to help her planet and protect humanity as best as she could.

“I miss Kara,” she mumbled into Astra’s shoulder. “I wish things could be different. I wish she could see reason and stop fighting us.” Alex did not want to hunt Kara but her sister and her little band of misfits was the only one who could destroy Myriad. And Alex would do what she had to do in order to prevent that.

But she didn’t want to think about Kara right now. Not when Astra had confessed the true depth of her feelings. “I don’t expect things to change. It would cause too much trouble for all of us. I know where my place is.”

With that she pushed Astra onto her back. Straddling her she pinned her down by her wrists. “Let me show you,” she said grinning. “I hope you still have a few orgasms in you.”

 

~

 

"Me too," Astra agreed without a moment's hesitation when Alex brought up Kara. She wanted Kara to join her, to take her rightful place in the house of El and help Astra guide the planet to something greater. But she wasn't going to insist that Alex instantly forget the feelings she had towards her sister. Astra respected those, as much as they made her doubt what she and Alex had together. 

When Alex rolled her onto her back, Astra blinked and then she smiled. "You're place is wherever you'd like it to be, Alex. If that place is between my legs, then I have no objections. Only that you haven't had enough yourself."

  
  


_

 

Alex was fully aware that Astra didn’t truly want to hurt or kill Kara, that she wished more than anything that Kara would join her and they could be a family. Therefore her manhunt for Kara was not as fierce and determined as it could be; Astra was mostly content with the fact that Kara wasn’t able to disrupt her plans.

Alex was very much okay with that, her desire to go up against her sister was pretty much nonexistent. She just hoped Kara wouldn’t become more radical and don’t give her no choice but to fight her.

It actually would have been a good time to just fall asleep with each other, maybe talk some more, but there was a feeling in Alex’s gut that made her restless, that made her push for more.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “I will get my share too,” she added grinning. Releasing Astra’s hands she slid down her body, leaving kisses and a new series of bite marks along the way, until she settled between Astra’s legs. “No rules. Just us,” she said giving Astra permission to talk and touch and do whatever she wanted to her heart’s content. Then she pushed Astra’s legs further apart and pressed a first, gentle kiss to her sex before she let her tongue glide through the fold in one long lick. “Hmmm,” she hummed as the taste exploded on her tongue. “This might take a while.”

 

~

 

Astra gave a soft sigh and she couldn't stop her body from curling up into Alex's touches. "Alex, you've already given me three orgasms compared to your one. That's not fair." Though on the word fair, Astra couldn't stop herself from moaning and arching into Alex's touch. Her legs parted easily and a hand reached down to grab Alex's hair. There was something about this that felt different. Perhaps it was the confession of what she felt for Alex, but Astra was already very wet. Her breath caught when Alex's tongue moved through her and Astra widened her legs even more.

 

_

 

Although she very much just wanted to lose herself in the taste and feel of Astra she looked up a bit reluctantly. “No. It’s not fair. I wasn't fair to you. I was angry when we got started and I took it out on you. And even though it turned out amazing I shouldn't have done that. You deserve better.”

Without waiting for Astra’s reaction she returned to the task at hand and started to eat Astra out eagerly. She didn’t really focus on pleasuring her at first, it was almost as if she was trying to scoop up all the delicious wetness she found there, and her tongue worked slow and almost lazy interrupted by her own moans and hums of pleasure.

 

~

 

"No I don't," Astra objected. But she groaned and her body reacted to Alex without Astra even meaning to. Her hand tightened in Alex's hair and Astra's hips bucked slightly, trying to start a rhythm that she could follow. "I deserve someone much less noble than you." The words were spoken before Astra could even begin to process the meaning of them and her eyes fluttered closed.

 

_

 

The last thing Alex saw herself as was noble. She felt like a traitor most of the time, betraying Kara, betraying humanity and sometimes, like tonight, betraying Astra. She had fucked her to hurt her, to prove to herself that she was in control. It had been for all the wrong reasons. And she had so many doubts, her heart and mind were constantly struggling. But Astra deserved someone who didn’t question, who was 100% behind her. 

But instead of voicing her doubts she decided to make up for earlier and treat Astra the way she deserved, to show her how much she cared for her, that she did love her even though it was all kinds of wrong, even though she couldn't say it out loud. 

She started to pay more attention to what she was doing, focusing her efforts on Astra’s clit, spurred on by her moans and the bucking of her hips.

 

~

 

The hand in Alex's hair tightened again with the continued effort. "Fuck," Astra groaned. With the confession and Alex not denying her outright, Astra was riding a high that was something she'd never felt before. Astra moaned out Alex's name and her hips started to rock to try and create a rhythm. With how sensitive Astra was she knew that this wasn't going to last long. Her heart cried out with how fucked up this was, but Astra couldn't deny the pleasure that was radiating throughout her whole body.

 

_

 

Again Alex was amazed by how close Astra already was again. It was a miracle to her how she was able to make Astra come undone time and time again. It wasn’t always as extreme as tonight though.

She moaned when Astra pulled her hair again, her own hips starting to rock against the bed without a chance of finding anything to cause the friction she was after. She could tell that Astra was getting close again and pushed inside her with two fingers, following the rhythm Astra was searching for. More often than not Alex would not allow Astra to find it, but tonight she was letting her take what she needed. She wanted to make up for earlier and let Astra come completely on her own terms.

 

~

 

When Alex's fingers entered her, Astra moaned and her body gave a small shiver with pleasure. Her free hand came up and covered her mouth. Now that she had told Alex how she felt, this slow and gentle pace was too much for her heart. The pace that her hips set was almost lazy compared to earlier, but the feelings that it sent through her body were just as powerful. With a cry, Astra came, biting down on her hand and the grip on Alex's hair tightening to the point where it would be painful even without Astra's powers. It was far too much for her to keep going and with no rules that said she should stop, Astra wasn't going to. The hand that prevented her from saying anything also stopped her from revealing any more of her heart and for that, Astra was grateful.

 

_

 

The pace Astra set was slow and it had a sultry quality to it. For a moment Alex wondered if Astra would even be able to come like this and then if she would be able to come without Alex saying the words. But then she felt Astra come around her fingers, flooding her mouth with more of the delicious wetness. Alex moaned loudly when Astra pulled harshly on her hair but she kept going. She wanted to get Astra through her high and let her down gently.

Looking up from between Astra’s legs Alex moaned again at the sight; Astra coming undone, totally free and uninhibited. 

Alex stopped the movement of her fingers but kept gently lapping at Astra’s folds, but left the sensitive clit for now, until Astra completely relaxed and stopped quivering. Only then did she remove her fingers and moved up Astra’s body to kiss her.

 

~

 

Astra kissed Alex back, the taste of herself on Alex's lips making her moan softly. But then she turned her head and sighed. Though Astra considered herself to have a large amount of stamina, she was starting to get tired. "I think we should put away the knife if you want me to be able to continue," Astra stated, the hand in Alex's hand untangling itself and moving to Alex's shoulder.

 

_

 

Alex cuddled up to Astra for a bit considering her words, while planting lazy kisses on her cheek and neck and her hands roaming her body without real purpose. Her body was still humming with energy and arousal but she didn’t want to push Astra into going on if she didn’t really want to. “Would that be okay? Or would you rather just go sleep?” she asked a little hesitantly. The idea of putting the dagger away and have Astra at her full strength for the remainder of the night was tempting.

 

~

 

"I wouldn't have suggested it if it wasn't ok," Astra responded with a chuckle. "The night is still young and I would very much like to give you a few more orgasms before the night is out. But with how relaxed I'm feeling right now, I'm very liable to fall asleep." She turned and pressed a kiss to Alex's cheek. "Which isn't fair to you at all."

 

_

  
  


“Okay then,” Alex said grinning, but still snuggled up to Astra. “That leaves another very, very important question,” she said teasingly, her forefinger drawing circles around Astra’s chest, slowly closing in on one of her nipples. “Do you want to fuck me, or do you want me to ride you? WIth the other strap-on I mean.” The second one was a little smaller than the one Alex had used on Astra, more of a realistic human size with about 6 inches and it had an insert for the wearer. “Or maybe … both?” she asked smirking.

 

~

 

Astra's breath caught and she then licked her lips. Alex's touch combined with the images in her head of getting to take Alex made Astra much less tired feeling. "Both sounds like the best option. The only problem is that I have no idea where the dagger went..." Astra trailed off and turned her head to look around. "That is potentially quite dangerous."

 

_

 

Alex just smirked and after pressing a quick kiss to Astra’s cheek sat up. “Oh, no worries. I know exactly where it is. I always do,” she said with a hint of seriousness in her voice. She did always know where it was because it was the only weapon that could hurt a Kryptonian and with Kara on the loose and a lot of Kryptonians not exactly on her side, she always had it in arm’s reach. Getting up she squatted down and picked up the dagger from where she had dropped it earlier and quickly put it back in its sheath. Then she moved over to the cupboard the get the other strap-on. With it she returned to the bed and sat down beside Astra. Looking at her she could already see the marks fading, but she didn’t dwell on it. Handing the strap-on over to Astra she smiled. “Well, you need this then,” she said biting her lip lightly. The thought alone of Astra fucking her with the toy was enough to turn her on again.

 

~

 

Sitting up as well, Astra felt the difference as soon as the dagger was back in its sheath. She stretched, letting her body get used to having her powers again. The bites and scratches that Alex had put across her skin started to fade and Astra frowned as she watched that happen. She liked having Alex's marks on her skin, but she couldn't really change her biology. She took the strap on and stood, quickly securing it. With a grin she turned back towards Alex, raising an eyebrow. "Which first Alex? Do you want to ride me or shall I just take you right now?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We have the conclusion of the night in this chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the second to last chapter and the last smut chapter. Thanks for all comments and questions. If you have any questions feel free to drop us a message her or come into our inboxes on tumblr.

The change in Astra after the dagger was stowed away was instant. Not only did her marks fade but it seemed like the tiredness and all the exhaustion was just falling off of Astra like a second skin. When Astra stood in front of her, proud and tall and sure of herself, Alex could only stare for a moment. But at her words there was a visible shiver that run through her. She licked her lips and there was a gleam in her eyes as Astra asked if she should take her. The decision was made and Alex whimpered slightly. Stepping towards Astra she crashed their lips together and kissed her hungrily giving the strap-on an experimental tug. “Fuck me,” she whispered, her voice husky with want. “Whichever way you want.”

 

~

 

Astra met the kiss with an equal hunger and her hands when to Alex's hips, her grip tight. Easily, she lifted Alex off of her feet, not breaking the kiss. It would have been a very simple matter for Astra to just fuck Alex right there, but instead she turned and swiftly brought them to the nearest wall. Astra made sure not to slam Alex into it, but she wasn't particularly gentle either. She pressed her body against Alex and shifted to start kissing her neck before starting to suck and leave angry red marks.

 

_

 

It was easily one of the things Alex loved most about Astra’s powers, the ease with which she could just pick her up and .. take her. Theoretically, though they had not tried that, Astra could fuck her against the ceiling or even while flying. But the wall worked just fine for Alex. She groaned at the impact, her hands buried in Astra’s hair and her legs went around her waist. Trapped between the wall and Astra, two very immovable objects, she moaned when Astra started to suck on her neck with enough force to leave marks that would last for days on Alex’s human body. This was probably the reason why most people had a very wrong picture of their relationship, because they only ever saw marks on Alex, never those she had left on Astra’s body simply because they healed momentarily. Everyone assumed that Astra was the dominant one and Alex her willing toy. 

“Astra,” she moaned her hips rocking against Astra’s body to gain some friction. “God, this is so good.” Even though Alex was usually the dominant one she loved it when Astra took charge like this and almost literally fucked her into a wall. It was a huge turn on and just the knowledge of what was to come was enough to make her incredibly wet.

 

~

 

One hand moved from Alex's hips to run through Alex's folds and Astra groaned when she felt how wet Alex was. "It's only going to get better," she growled, shifting Alex up and inserting the toy into her slowly. She wanted to make sure that Alex was actually ready, so Astra just pressed a few more kisses on her neck. Then Astra began to move. She knew Alex's body well enough that she was more than ready by now. Her hips rocked slowly, but with power as she entered Alex over and over. It took a large amount of concentration to make sure that she wouldn't break either the wall or her lover, but Astra loved using as much of her strength as possible.

 

_

 

Alex let out a low moan, her back against the wall with an audible thump, when Astra entered her.”Fuck!” she cried out her hands clenching hard into Astra’s hair. It was another perk of Astra’s powers that Alex didn’t have to worry about hurting her at all. She tried to keep some of her composure but Astra’s hard thrusts soon reduced her to a blubbering mess. “Yes. God yes,” she cried out over and over with every of Astra’s thrusts. The heat spreading through her body was raging like a wildfire, fast and hungry and all consuming and her own hips matched Astra’s thrusts one for one. “Faster,” she gasped out between thrusts. “I want to feel you for days.”

 

~

 

A low rumble came from Astra's throat and a hand went out to brace herself against the wall. She had miscalculated slightly and there was a dull crunch, but Astra didn't pause her movements. In fact she only started to go faster. Slow and hard turned into fast and hard as she moved her body against Alex's. It was about as much power as she could use without having to worry about Alex and so Astra was losing even herself to the movement. Alex's cries had a very powerful effect on her.

 

_

 

When Astra started to go faster Alex’s cries became louder and she moved her hands from Astra’s hair to her shoulders so she had better leverage as she matched her thrusts with her own, her hands digging into Astra’s skin. She would have clawed her open if the dagger wasn’t sheathed. She was racing towards her orgasm now, each thrust pushing her higher towards a release she could feel would be hard and fast. “Fuck, baby. Just like that,” she cried out and after a few more of Astra’s powerful thrusts she felt the built up tension explode like a volcano and with drawn out cry of Astra’s name  and a last jerk of her hips all of her muscles tensed as wave after wave of pleasure coursed through her, leaving her momentarily boneless and she just sagged against her lover, panting for air.

 

~

 

Astra made sure to wrap an arm around Alex, so that she wouldn't fall. She slowed her movements and pressed a soft kiss to Alex's cheek. "You are perfection." Astra pushed away from the wall, noticing the imprint of her hand on the wall and making a face. That would have to be fixed and it would only serve to further the rumors. Just holding Alex up, Astra walked slowly back to her bed and sat down. It was a bit awkward as they were still connected and every little movement only served to remind them both of that, but Astra wanted to give Alex a bit of time before she went again.

 

_

 

It should have been testament to how deeply Alex trusted Astra that she never even worried about falling or stumbling even though she had no ounce of power left herself. That she just let Astra take care of her and simply leaned against her, feeling absolutely safe as she was the most vulnerable she could possibly be. It really should have told Alex how she truly felt about Astra if she had only bothered to take a closer look. She groaned lightly as the strap-on moved inside her when Astra carried her over to the bed. She was really sensitive at the moment and there were still little aftershocks running through her body with every little jolt of the toy. “Shit,” she murmured. If she hadn’t been so weak she would have started moving right away again because the slight movements made her feel like she was under a constant current that was buzzing through her veins. “That. Was. Amazing,” she pressed out between deep breaths before she captured Astra’s lips in a sloppy kiss. “You. Are amazing,” she added after a moment.

 

~

 

She shrugged slightly and returned the kiss, letting her hands run up Alex's back. "I just love you." Now that she had said it once and things hadn't completely collapsed, Astra was quite willing to say it multiple times. "And you already know that I live to serve as an object for your pleasure." With those words, Astra lifted her hips slightly. It wasn't a very nice thing to do when Alex was already so sensitive, but she did enjoy hearing the sounds of shock that came from her. A very self satisfied smirk came over Astra's lips. "Everything else is an effect of those."

 

_

 

“Hmmm,” Alex simply hummed in response. She had her eyes closed and was still leaning heavily against Astra. Her body was aching in all the right ways, in the ways that told you you were alive and loved. “Y’are not an object,” she murmured. Her strength was returning, but only slowly, but it was enough to suck hard on Astra’s pulse point. She gasped when Astra pushed up into her ever so lightly and rocked back against her. “Astra,” she groaned. She was still feeling a little lightheaded from the first orgasm. “Hand me the water? My throat is so dry from all the crying out your name. And I think,” she cleared her throat as her voice cracked. “I think there will still be more screaming.”

 

~

 

"Of course," Astra said simply. She reached over and handed the water bottle to Alex, gazing up at her with affection. She let her hands massage the muscles on Alex's shoulder blades. It wasn't rushed, as Astra let herself feel out the knots and try to undo them. She made sure not to make too much movement otherwise, not wanting to overwhelm Alex before she was ready again.

 

_

 

Alex was glad that Astra kept the movement of her hips to the bare minimum as she reached for the water and she accepted it thankfully and drank greedily. She was parched like she had run a marathon and she had probably burnt the same amount of calories with their activities so far. She emptied the bottle and sighed contently. “I had not realized I was this thirsty,” she said screwing the bottle closed again and letting it drop to the floor behind her. Then she put her hands behind Astra’s neck and kissed her again, with more purpose this time. “Now … where were we?”

 

~

 

"You are always thirsty," Astra commented with a grin, using the proper slang easily. She met the kiss greedily, her hands dropping to Alex's waist. "But I think the plan was for you to ride me until you can't take it anymore. Though I'm flexible to change, if that's what you want." Astra moved her hips slightly, just enough to push further into Alex. Her grip tightened and Astra dug her fingernails into Alex's skin. Not with enough pressure to draw blood, but enough for it to hurt.

 

_

 

Her snappy comeback died on her lips as Astra moved to push into her and turned into a low moan. “Fuck, Astra!” Alex in turn started to slowly move her hips, but it was almost lazy. “Yes, that was the plan,” she groaned holding onto Astra’s shoulders again. She rocked against Astra bit harder as she felt her fingers dig into her sides and gasped at the sensation. “And I very much still want to do that, but … I picked the strap-on with the insert for a reason.” Again she rocked her hips with more purpose this time, pushing down against Astra. “I want us to come together. I want .. Fuck,” Alex struggled to get out what she needed to say and it was hard to keep her movements controlled like they were right now.

 

~

 

Astra blinked and then bit her lip. She'd been subconsciously holding her own pleasure back, something that she'd done with Non that had transferred over to being with Alex. It was useful when Alex was being more dominant, but sometimes it made Astra seem much less affected than she was. "Oh," she responded and then Astra moved so that Alex was pressed against the bed beneath her. Seeing Alex come once already had Astra wet and now that she knew what Alex wanted Astra was more than willing. She started moving, trying to find a rhythm that would get both of them going. It wasn't that difficult as every movement that Alex made set Astra off even more.

 

_

 

Suddenly Alex found herself on her back. It had not been what she expected but the way Astra was now moving with purpose made her not mind at all. Her legs spread wider automatically and her hands grabbed Astra’s hips, encouraging her to go faster and push deeper. “God yes. Just like that. So good,” she mumbled under her breath. Alex worked her hips trying to match Astra’s rhythm, rocking into her with as much strength as she could muster after this long night.

 

~

 

Moving more rapidly, Astra could feel herself getting close and she moaned into Alex's neck. She could hear Alex's heartbeat moving rapidly and it drove her closer to the edge to know how she was affecting Alex. "I'm close," she said, her voice low with need. "Come on, Alex." She shifted one hand to find Alex's clit, hoping that that extra amount of simulation would be enough to push Alex over the edge.

 

_

 

Alex was actually glad that Astra was on top because she wasn’t sure if she would have the strength left to ride Astra and manage the speed and force she would have wanted. And Astra certainly had the strength to push into her at a speed that Alex liked very much because it propelled her towards yet another orgasm despite the fact that she had only come minutes ago. Her moans mixed with Astra’s as she clung to her and when Astra touched her clit she let out a low moan as she felt her walls start to tremble around the fake cock. “Almost there,” she panted. And after a few more thrusts another powerful orgasm ripped through her making her cry out Astra’s name in pleasure.

 

~

 

"Fuck, Alex," Astra groaned as she moved against the other woman. When Alex cried out her name, Astra found herself coming right after. Her body shook, but Astra was able to keep thrusting for a few more moments before having to stop, panting. She looked down and pulled out of Alex before shifting to lie on her side, giving them both a little bit of space to breathe.

 

_

 

The high made her shudder and buck against Astra for a few more times and she noticed that Astra was shuddering through her own release before she sagged, all her muscles relaxing and her vision starting to blacken. Panting heavily she groaned when Astra pulled out of her and moved to lie beside her and with great effort she managed to reach out and find Astra’s hand in the space between them. “Holy fucking shit,” she murmured after a while, when her breathing had evened out enough for her to speak.

 

~

 

Astra wove her fingers in Alex's and she nodded. "You can say that again," she said. Letting out a sigh, she brought Alex's hand up to her lips and kissed it. "I know that wasn't exactly what was planned, but that was amazing." It didn't take her very long to recover when she had her powers and Astra smiled happily. Then she turned her head to look at Alex. "Will you sleep here tonight?" she asked hesitantly.

 

_

 

Alex chuckled lightly but didn’t move at all. All of her muscles felt like jelly and she was certain she would walk funny for a few days. “No, it wasn’t. But I think this was better. I’m not sure I would have had the energy to ride you properly anyway,” she admitted. “Next time,” she added grinning and just turned her head to look at Astra. She simply nodded at her request. She had no desire to sleep alone after this. “I will. And I’m not quite ready to move but I think I should take a hot shower to keep the soreness to a minimum. Want to join me? Just a shower, no funny business though.” Shower sex was actually quite enjoyable with Astra since she didn’t have to worry about falling or slipping, but right now she really just wanted a hot shower to soothe her sore muscles.

 

~

 

Hearing that Alex would stay made Astra grin and she rolled into Alex, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "I'd love to. If you need me to, I can even hold you up. While you regain your energy, I'll clean up." She sat up and let go of Alex's hand. Astra took off the strap on and she zoomed about the room, putting things away. Then Astra sat back down next to Alex, gazing down at her. The sight of Alex exhausted on her bed was a glorious sight and Astra felt surprisingly content. The earlier anger and annoyance of the party had faded to the back of her mind, though she still was determined to find a way to change things to make it better. She was sick and tired of people not taking the woman she loved seriously. "You are absolute perfection," Astra breathed out happily. "You should never wear clothes."

 

_

 

“I’m not sure yet,” Alex said when Astra kissed her. “You actually might have to. I think you fucked the bones out of my body,” she added. Her body was feeling heavy and relaxed and it was not easy to not just fall asleep right then and there. To prevent that she sat up, groaning as her muscles protested, and watched Astra clean up the room in a matter of seconds. She rolled her eyes at Astra’s statement, she never quite understood what exactly Astra saw in her. Sure she was fairly good looking, but certainly not perfect. “I’m sure Maxima would appreciate that,” she teased gently. Then she put a hand on Astra’s shoulder and squeezed gently. “Let’s go get that shower. I am ready to pass out and sleep for weeks,” she said before moving so she could sit on the edge of the bed and get up.

 

~

 

"I would make her appreciate it with a fist to her face," Astra responded, her mood still light. She felt oddly giddy, probably the combination of the many orgasms that night. Astra didn't feel like the General who had to lead an entire planet combined with an army of idiot kryptonians to be better. She felt like a woman who was in love and happy. Something that she could only ever feel with Alex and Astra loved it. She slipped off the bed, lightly standing on her feet. There was a connected bathroom to her chambers, so the distance wasn't much. But she was mildly concerned that Alex might be a little too thoroughly fucked to make it. "Do you need a hand?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.

 

_

 

“I would love to see that,” she admitted honestly. It was something that would probably never happen, even though Alex knew that Astra wished to do so on a regular basis, but it would cause a rift between parts of her army she couldn’t afford. Least of all over something as unimportant as her. 

Alex loved moments like these, when the stress of their lives just faded away. Astra was a different person then, it was definitely the Astra she really loved, when she was just herself. 

Smiling up at Astra she held out a hand to her and let Astra keep her steady as she stood. It was bit wobbly for a moment, but then she found her footing and pulled Astra along to the bathroom, slowly. “You can still hold me during the shower,” she said looking back over her shoulder.

 

~

 

Easily, Astra provided Alex with the balance that she needed. She trailed behind Alex slightly, letting her gaze dip to admire Alex's ass. Eyes snapped up when Alex spoke and Astra nodded. "Of course. Whatever you require Alex." It was hard for her not to look guilty, but there was also just a playfulness to her that Astra couldn't hide. She did appreciate all of Alex's assets. But she moved her feet a little bit faster and went to turn on the water for Alex. All in the name of being helpful.

  
  


_

 

Alex just smirked when she caught Astra staring at her ass and put some extra sway to her hips for the last few steps. Those were the times she really enjoyed being with Astra, when everything was simple and playful. “I just want you with me,” she said quietly as she stepped under the spray and pulled Astra with her. Pulling Astra’s arms around her waist she leaned into her chest with her back and just let the hot water cascade over them for a bit. She let out a satisfied moan as the hot water ran over her sore muscles and washed away the sweat. “This is heaven,” she moaned out leaning more heavily into Astra and closed her eyes turning her face into the spray.

 

~

 

Astra moved close to Alex, letting out a soft hum. There was a long list of cheesy lines that Astra could have said in response, but she kept silent. Her hands ran gently over Alex's skin as they stood under the water. She would have loved to go for another round, but this was another form of pleasure all on its own. Astra almost felt like singing, but that would have been an odd thing to do given the moment. So instead she settled for just pressing a kiss to Alex's shoulder.

 

_

 

Alex hummed softly in response. There were goosebumps erupting all over her body where Astra touched her. She would have loved to finish the night with some steamy, pun intended, shower sex but she was barely standing on her own, there was no way she could go another round for a while. “Sorry babe,” she mumbled. She knew Astra would never ask for it but with her powers back Alex also knew that Astra was almost always ready to ravage her when they were alone. And being naked in the shower with each other would only feed Astra’s appetite for her. “I really can’t anymore. I would love to, but I’m just … done for tonight,” she added but turned around in Astra’s arms to kiss her. “Now, let’s get cleaned up, okay? You wanna help?” she asked knowing that Astra loved to touch Alex and to dote on her any chance she got. And Alex was ready to be pampered, something that rarely happened.

 

~

 

"I know, I wasn't offering," Astra responded immediately, shaking her head. "I respect your limits." She kissed Alex back without deepening it, just enjoying the sensation and then pulled away with a smile. The offer for her to help Alex made her even more happy, if that was possible, and Astra leaned past Alex to grab the soap. "Though... you may want to do most of your front," she admitted sheepishly. After all, Astra was very respectful, but sometimes her urges were hard to ignore.

 

_

 

“I know you do. But I also know that you would love to go one or two more rounds. And I really wish I could give you that. Nights like this are so rare, I always want to make the most out of them,” she explained. She shook her head grinning at Astra. “Nope. You will do all of it. You made it dirty you can clean it up,” she teased. “I love when you touch me, even if it’s not … going anywhere,” she added planting a soft kiss on Astra’s neck as she reached past her. “And it’s not like it’s not tempting. So … maybe you’ll get lucky,” she winked at her pun, “and I recover enough for some fun times. But no promises, sorry about that.”

 

~

 

Astra gave a mock grumble and she started to lather the soap in her hands. "I hope you know that you are a temptress and not very nice at all," she proclaimed before setting the soap down and starting to transfer the suds to Alex's body. Normally she would have used a washcloth, but Astra wanted to be able to more directly feel the skin beneath her fingertips. It wasn't often that Astra got to be as delicate as she wanted with Alex, but here, she let herself indulge. Her face fell into one of concentration as Astra focused on making sure absolutely every part of Alex would be cleaned.

 

_

 

Alex only grinned at Astra’s words. “Oh I know. But you don’t like me because I’m nice, do you?” she asked grinning smugly. “You don’t like nice girls.” Leaning in she let her tongue run along Astra’s ear before lightly biting into her earlobe. “Because nice girls don’t fuck you like I do,” she whispered into her ear in a husky voice. She knew she was playing with fire, teasing Astra like that but Astra's hands felt wonderful on her body and her sore muscles loosened from the combination with the hot water. Enough for her to be able to risk being ravaged again at least. “Nice girls don’t make you scream and beg.”

 

~

 

Clearing her throat Astra took a breath. "I wouldn't know. I haven't been with any other girls besides you." She moved her hands to Alex's back, again massaging the muscles there that she knew would be sore. Once done with that, she ran her hands down and cupped Alex's ass. "But unlike you, I'm nice, so I can handle a bit of teasing." She pressed a kiss to Alex's cheek and paused for a moment, just letting her hands rest where they were. Then Astra pulled away, giving the other woman's ass a gentle slap. "Now rinse off so I can wash your hair."

 

_

 

Alex smiled softly at Astra at her confession, of course she knew that. Before Alex there had just been Non, and he had treated her badly. “Well, if you want I can be a nice girl for you,” she said as she stepped under the spray to rinse off thoroughly. “For one night or so. And then you can tell me what you like better,” she added. She was almost sorry that Astra had not taken her bait, but on the other hand she would possibly pass out if Astra made her come again this soon. Turning around she leaned back to get her hair wet, not at all popping out her chest right towards Astra on purpose. “All nice and wet for you,” she eventually said giving Astra a wink.

 

~

 

"I'm fine with you being you," she stated but then Astra gave a small whimper at the sight of Alex arching into the water. She shook her head and turned to grab the shampoo. It took her a second to actually pick it up without being concerned that she'd break the bottle and end up with it all over her face. Luckily she managed and then she motioned for Alex to turn around. Words were not a good idea, it seemed.

 

_

 

“See,” Alex said grinning smugly. “I knew you don’t like nice girls. You okay over there?” she asked noticing the short pause before Astra actually picked up the shampoo after she let that small whimper slip out. Alex arched her back some more and let out a satisfied moan. “God, this feels so good. There’s nothing better than a hot shower after you’ve been thoroughly fucked into next week. Don’t you agree?”

 

~

 

Astra glanced up to the ceiling, sending a wordless prayer to Rao. "I'm so tired, Astra, I couldn't possibly go another round, why don't you just hold me up in the shower," Astra said in a mocking tone. "I do know what you are doing, Alex." She reached out and spun Alex so she could wash her hair. "And I'm trying very hard to be a gentlewoman. So please..." Astra managed to squirt out some shampoo in her hand and she started to work her fingers through Alex's hair. "Let me concentrate."

 

_

 

Alex sighed when Astra started to wash her hair but it was less sexual than her noises before. “It was true when I said it. I was barely able to stand let alone do anything,” she argued. But she knew Astra had a point of course. “But your hands on my body are always incredibly stimulating. You have a lot more self control than I have,” she said. Humming contently she just let herself relax as Astra massaged her scalp. “I would probably only be up to nice girl sex anyway,” she couldn’t help but tease. It was just how she was and Astra made it so easy.

  
  


~

 

"Well one of us has to," Astra grumbled. "You make it very difficult though." Satisfied with how much she'd washed Alex's hair, Astra let go, running her hands under the water for a moment before leaning down so that she can wash her own. "One of these days, I'm just going to keep you in my room for a solid week and just have my way with you." It's a blatant lie, of course. Astra had far too much to do to take a week off, but she also would never not let Alex have some semblance of control when it came to sex.

 

_

 

“Hmmm,” Alex hummed her agreement. “And you are the badass General, so you can do it. I always thought you liked a challenge,” she answered. She liked this teasing banter between them, it was so different from how they had to be in public, and usually Alex ‘won’. But then Astra delivered a punch line Alex had not expected and she whimpered slightly, a fresh wave of arousal shooting through her. “Don't make empty promises,” she groaned stepping up behind Astra and pressing against her back. “We just established I have no self control,” she added pressing kisses to Astra’s shoulders and neck.

 

~

 

She'd dipped her hair in the water to rise it before Alex drew near and so now it was just them and the hot water. "How about a weekend then?" Astra offered, letting herself lean into Alex's touches. "I'm sure I could manage that." Now that she was actually thinking about it, the better of an idea that it became. She gave a small groan and tilted her head so that Alex had better access. "Just you and me, my bed, and all of those toys that you like to use." Astra is planning it already as that's how her mind worked and she's surprised by just how possible that it could be. "Though you could just have your way with me now...." It's clear that whatever self control that Astra had been using was steadily unraveling.

 

_

 

“That sounds wonderful,” Alex answered, her kisses turning into bites along Astra’s neck and shoulders. “We won’t leave your rooms from Friday night till Monday morning, have food delivered from the kitchen and I will go on a little shopping spree beforehand to buy some things I’m certain you will like but we never have the time or patience for.” Alex mind also was already in planning mode, her shopping list becoming longer by the second. “Hmm, I suppose I could…,” she murmured into Astra’s neck, her hands already starting to wander. “And we should definitely take turns because I like it when you take charge like earlier, when you took me against the wall,” she continued to talk about the weekend while one of her hands was already busy kneading Astra’s breast and her other dipped down between her legs."You've been a very good girl," she husked into Astra's ear, giving her nipple a sharp pinch. "You have earned a reward."

 

~

 

The second that Alex's hands start to wander, Astra's mind forgot for a second what exactly they were talking about. But then she nodded. "Uh huh." It isn't exactly the most brilliant addition to the conversation, but it's all that Astra could really muster coherently. When Alex's hand dips between her legs, Astra lets out a moan and widens her stance reflexively. Pushing her body back against Alex's, Astra swallows heavily. "Have I?" There was something about Alex praising her like that that made Astra crave for more. It made her feel wanted, special even, in a way that was probably unhealthy, but it turned her on so deeply that Astra couldn’t bring herself to care. She wanted to be good for Alex, for Alex to praise her and give her that pleasure that only she could. One of Astra's hands goes to the side of the wall.

 

_

 

“Cat got your tongue?” Alex teased at Astra’s unintelligible reaction but she continued her, for now gentle, caresses, she wanted Astra’s attention. So she kneaded Astra’s breast slowly and let her thumb run around her nipple a few times before changing to the other breast. Between Astra’s legs she was stroking slowly through her folds but not going where Astra wanted her yet.

“Yes. You have been a very good girl. You followed all of my instructions and you fucked me so good. I will remember that for days every time I try to sit down somewhere. And because you’ve been such a good girl you may choose how you want me to fuck you. Tell me baby. What do you want?”

 

~

 

Astra moaned and shut her eyes. Her body was already reacting to Alex's touch and part of her was so tempted to say for Alex to take her hard and fast, but they had already done that. Astra whined softly, hoping that her indecision wouldn't make Alex stop. There were a few things that she always wanted so that helped. "I want to be able to kiss you," she replied, her mind racing with things they could do. "And if you could go down on me?" It seemed that simple was the easier choice with how distracted Astra was. Plus the image of Alex between her legs was one that she always enjoyed.

 

_

 

Alex gave Astra all the time she needed to decide, she just continued her best to distract her from thinking at all. Letting her thumb run over Astra’s nipple she bit into her shoulder. “There’s no rush, baby. It’s a reward, take your time to pick,” she whispered her other hand circling Astra’s clit now. “Hmmm, you’re so wet for me. Such a good girl,” she hummed dipping into Astra’s opening with two fingers slowly. When Astra mentioned kissing Alex let go of Astra and turned her around by her shoulders, immediately crashing their lips together and kissing her hungrily. Her own arousal from their weekend plans had not subsided and she pushed Astra against the wall and pressed her whole body up against her, never breaking their kiss. Astra’s second suggestion made Alex smile. “I thought it should be a reward for you, and now you want to treat me to something so delicious? But if you insist,” she mumbled already starting to kiss down Astra’s neck.

 

~

 

It was a wonder that Astra had been able to get out anything that she had wanted at all. Alex's words combined with her touching her clit made Astra groan and her hips jerked slightly. But then Alex was spinning her around and Astra felt the cold of the wall against her back. Her hands came up to pull Alex into the kiss more. "Alex," Astra moaned out when she switched to kissing her neck. One hand was still cupping the back of Alex's neck and the other rested on her shoulder, pushing Alex down slightly. Astra was already more than ready for Alex and she wanted her desperately. She hadn't specified whether she wanted to be teased or not, so Astra knew that was up to Alex's mood. Still, she hoped Alex would get the hint.

 

_

 

Alex felt the slight pressure on her shoulder and smiled against Astra’s neck, she knew what she wanted of course and judging by how wet Astra already was, she was more than ready for Alex to get down to business, pun intended. “Patience, baby. I’m getting there,” she murmured against Astra’s neck before biting it hard and then continued her track down Astra’s body. Not too slow, but probably not fast enough for Astra since she spent some time kissing, licking and biting Astra’s breasts and nippels before she eventually knelt down between Astra’s legs. Gripping one of Astra’s legs she put it over her shoulder before she spread Astra’s folds with her fingers and took a first slow lick. “Hmm, you taste so good, baby.”

 

~

 

Astra just let her head hit the wall behind her, biting her lip to keep from letting out any more noises. Still, her body's reactions, pushing into Alex and trying to feel as much of the other woman's touch as possible, spoke with just how much she wanted this. When Alex eventually made her way in-between Astra's legs, she couldn't prevent herself from moaning any longer. The hand that had been on the back of Alex's neck moved into Alex's hair, her fingers gripping tightly, though not enough to actually hurt.

 

_

 

The grip in her hair made her moan against Astra’s center. She didn’t want to tease Astra any longer though so she focused on Astra’s clit, flicking it with her tongue rapidly before taking it between her lips to suck on it. Astra’s moans only spurred her on and her fingers found their way back to Astra’s opening. She pushed in with two fingers, deep but slow, and started a slow but steady rhythm, pushing in and curling her fingers slightly when she pulled out again. All the while she was sucking and licking at Astra’s clit, humming and moaning in delight at the taste on her tongue.

 

~

 

"Fuck, Alex," Astra called out as her fingers entered her. Her hips moved with the rhythm set by Alex, even though she wanted it to be faster. "That feels so good, I love it when you have your tongue on me." It was rare for her to be talkative when she wasn't commanded to, but Astra wanted to let Alex know how much she was appreciated. "I'm so close already, if you could just go faster, take me please, I'm all yours."

 

_

 

Alex just hummed in response since she didn’t want to take her mouth of Astra at this moment. She loved going down on Astra, it was such an intimate and personal way to give Astra pleasure. There was just one downside. She couldn’t talk as much as she wanted, and she just loved to tease or praise Astra during sex. Hearing Astra tell her what she liked and wanted send a thrill through her body and made her groan as her own sex started to throb in response. She was happy to oblige, this was a reward after all, and picked up her speed, pushing into Astra faster and as hard as she could manage in this position.

 

~

 

The faster movement made Astra moan and she followed the rhythm again, matching so that she could feel Alex on her clit and inside her at the same time. Because of how much Alex had been teasing her earlier, Astra had already been on edge and she could feel the orgasm coming hard so she started to move faster in anticipation. "Alex, I'm coming, fuck!" she cried out as the wave of pleasure hit her. Her eyes were shut tightly as she focused on the feeling of Alex's tongue and her hand tightened again, pushing Alex into her. It isn't until the orgasm subsides that her iron grip is released as her breathing tried to regulate itself back into something like a steady pace.

 

_

 

When Astra announced that she was coming Alex sucked on Astra’s clit hard while pushing into her as fast as she could manage. She moaned out loud as Astra pushed her face closer against her sex. She felt Astra’s walls clamp down on her fingers and slowed her movements so Astra could ride out her orgasm. With her fingers all but trapped for the moment she lazily lapped up all the fresh wave of wetness between Astra’s legs. Not able to hold back anymore herself her free hand found its way between her own legs to release some of the pressure.

 

~

 

Astra opened her eyes and then groaned as she saw Alex reaching to pleasure herself. "Alex, let me..." Astra trailed off and then tugged on Alex's hair, trying to move her up now. She didn't want Alex to have to take care of herself and since Astra recovered quite quickly with her powers she was almost ready to go again anyways. "You shouldn't have to do that yourself, love," she added, licking her lips.

 

_

 

Alex’s hips jerked forward when she touched her clit and she let out a low moan. But of course she let herself be pulled up gladly. Touching herself was nice but it was so much better when Astra did it. “I know,” she said. “I just couldn’t wait any longer,” she added pressing up against Astra and kissing her hungrily. She had Astra’s thigh pressed between her legs and pushed down against it with another low moan, coating Astra’s thigh with her wetness. “I just need … something. Now!” she growled. She didn’t care how Astra got her off right now, as long as she did somehow.

 

~

 

Kissing Alex back, Astra reached down and slipped her hand in between Alex's legs. It took her a second to find her clit due to the movement, but once she did, Astra started to move in a rhythm that she hoped would get Alex some relief. Her other hand moved to Alex's hip, digging her nails into the soft skin.

 

_

 

Alex shifted when Astra reached between her legs to give her some room. She let out another moan and her hips rocked against Astra’s hand. She was all but clinging to Astra and her head rested with her forehead against Astra's collarbone. She was trembling lightly, her muscles quivering from the new strain so shortly after she had recovered and from kneeling on the floor. “God yes baby,” she panted. “Just like that.” The rhythm Astra had set was the perfect compromise. Usually she would prefer faster and harder but the evening had drained her. She cried out when Astra’s fingers dug into her skin, sending another wave of arousal through her. “I need you inside,” she pleaded, sinking her teeth into Astra’s shoulder to hold back another moan as her body shuddered again.

 

~

 

Letting out a groan, Astra shifts her hand so she can push two fingers into Alex. She keeps about the same pace, judging by the way that Alex was holding onto her that it was enough. "I love being inside you," Astra murmured, lowering her voice and moving the hand that was on Alex's hips up to the small of the other woman's back, dragging her nails against the skin. "Of all of the things that we've done, I think this is one of my favorites. When you are so undone that you have to hold onto me. I can see why you like to fuck me without my powers." As she speaks, Astra makes sure to thrust into Alex as hard and as deep as she could from this angle.

 

_

 

There is a small cry when Astra pushes inside and Alex’s hips start to move against Astra’s fingers but compared to earlier that night it is weak and sluggish. She feels the pressure building further, white heat coiling inside her stomach when Astra’s nails rake across her skin. Astra’s words reach her through the haze of the intensity of it all and she groans weakly as the night replays in her mind with a rush of images. She desperately needs to come and quick because her strength is draining fast, the night has taken its toll. And just when she thinks that she can’t possibly go on any longer Astra pushes into her hard and deep and the combination of it all is enough to push her over the edge. Her body convulses against Astra, shuddering and trembling, a cry ripping from her throat as she holds onto to Astra as her knees give out beneath her.

 

~

 

Astra wraps her arm around Alex, holding her up as she slowly lets Alex ride out the orgasm. Removing her fingers gently, Astra smiled and she tilted her head to press a kiss to Alex's hair. "You did so good, beautiful, let me take care of you ok?" Gently, making sure to keep her hold on Alex, Astra pushed from the wall and brings them both underneath the water again so they can enjoy it for a few more moments. Then she reached down, turning the water off and lifted them both out of the shower. Without letting go of Alex, Astra grabbed a towel and wrapped her lover in it, not wanting Alex to get cold. "I don't know about you, but I'm pretty ready to go to sleep."

 

_

 

Alex just groans when aftershocks wreck through her body, making it trash almost violently because she doesn’t have the strength left to control it, and if not for Astra holding her she would have collapsed to the floor. But eventually the tremors subside and there’s a small whimper when Astra pulls out. She can only nod at Astra’s words and lets the water wash away the evidence of that last round. She sighs when Astra wraps her in a towel, leaning heavily against her. “Hmm, so ready,” she can muster the strength to answer putting a tiny kiss to Astra’s shoulder, because it’s the place she can reach without moving.

 

~

 

A low chuckle comes from Astra. "We have to brush our teeth first though." She doesn't bother getting herself a towel, Astra doesn't feel very cold and if she was holding onto Alex then the towel around her would catch some of the moisture anyways. With a small bit of strength, she picks Alex up for a moment and then places the other woman back down, making sure that Alex's feet were on hers. Then, she very slowly walked backwards towards the sink. It's a bit awkward, but Astra was fairly concerned about Alex falling over and she didn't want to insist that Alex move on her own. Plus it meant she could hold Alex for longer. "Can you manage?" she asked once they reached the sink.

 

_

 

This was definitely one of the times Alex was thankful for Astra’s powers otherwise she would have felt guilty for having Astra carry her around like this. She just nodded at Astra’s question and reached for her spare toothbrush. She spent her nights often enough with Astra to have one stashed in her bathroom permanently. Alex went through the motions on auto pilot until she had rinsed and wiped her mouth on the towel. Then she leaned back against Astra. “Hmmm done. Cuddle now?”

 

~

 

When Alex nodded, Astra released her, though she didn't move far away. Just in case. The whole time she brushed her teeth, Astra kept an eye trained on Alex for any signs of the woman being just slightly too exhausted. She wasn't quite done when Alex leaned into her and Astra made a sort of confirmation noise through her teeth. Then she moved around to spit and rinse quickly. "There now we can." Feeling a little bold, Astra stooped and lifted Alex up into her arms. She placed a quick kiss to Alex's lips and walked them both to the bed, moving aside the sheets and setting Alex down. Astra tugged the towel off of Alex, did a quick dry of herself and then tossed it onto a chair before climbing in next to Alex. She sighed, letting herself relax. This was probably a form of heaven. At least that's what Astra thought as she wrapped her arms around Alex.

 

_

 

Alex let herself scooped up without protest, which was testament how truly and utterly exhausted she was. It didn’t happen often that she was this completely spent but she loved the feeling. It was rare moments like this when her mind would finally shut down and she was at peace for a few blissful minutes. 

She cuddled up to Astra the moment the other had layn down beside her. Throwing an arm across her stomach she was laying half atop of Astra with her head over her heart. “Imma pass out now,” she mumbled pressing her lips to the skin under her. Her eyes had been fallen shut the second Astra had laid her down and her breathing already started to deepen. “Love you.”

  
  


~

 

The relaxed feeling that had been floating around her body faded the second that Alex murmured those last words. Astra froze in place, not wanting to wake Alex or make her uncomfortable, but her heart felt like it was going to either burst or that it was going to break. There was no way that Alex was lying or that she could have said it due to Myriad. Astra forced herself to take a breath and very gently she lifted a hand to brush some hairs out of Alex's face. Alex loved her. No matter how many times Astra had been selfish and had manipulated the woman in her arms, she couldn't have gotten her to love her, not without Alex actually seeing something in her that was lovable. Astra swallowed and then felt her eyes water, so she shut them tightly, not wanting to actually cry. Alex deserved so much better than this, Astra knew that she did. So she sighed and as the tears rolled down her cheek silently, Astra vowed that she would try her best to be more worthy of that love. Alex had offered it willingly. Astra doubted that she would even remember, but it was something that would be in Astra's mind every time she would look at Alex now. There was even more reason for her to protect Alex now. This, whatever it was, had some sort of future that Astra was just now letting herself believe could exist. Feeling silly, Astra wiped her cheeks and then took a few deep breaths. Her grip on Alex tightened slightly and Astra let her mind play the words again. A small smile played across her lips as she let herself fade into the fog of sleep.


	6. chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next morning something unexpected happens and things take an unexpected turn. For the better?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the conclusion of this story. Thank you all for your continued support. We had a lot of fun with this and we hope you had too.

Things had been crazy. Alex had just gotten dressed the next morning when Kara suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Astra had not been in the room at that moment but came in moments later, alarmed by the sound of a fight, only to see Kara disappear - with Alex who had been about to wrangle her down. 

They appeared somewhere else, still fighting and Alex winning when she was tackled by - herself. The other Alex was about to kill her but was stopped by Kara, pleading for her life. 

They all went their separate ways and it took Alex some time to figure things out. 

Kara had somehow brought them to another Earth where Alex and Kara were still sisters. Alex arranged a meeting with her doppelganger and they had a long conversation and after that Alex met up with Kara, her Kara, and they reconnected. Talked about everything that happened and why and how. Without Myriad influencing her Alex felt truly like herself for the first time since it had been activated. She was devastated to learn that on this Earth Astra died, killed by Alex, even though she too had felt deeply for the Kryptonian. Emotions were raging high when they made plans how to get their Earth back and they learned that Myriad could be beaten. 

Their plan was to go back and for Kara to shut down Myriad, but give Alex some time to talk to Astra to convince her to work with them. Alex had no knowledge on how and where Kara would shut down Myriad so she wouldn’t be able to give it away should Astra make her to. And if Alex failed Kara could carry on their plan without Alex and still succeed. But if Alex could convince Astra they could let down Myriad gently and spare a lot of innocent lives. 

Kara had of course heard that Alex had shared Astra’s bed and admitting to Kara that she loved Astra and explaining their relationship to her had been hard. But in the end Kara understood that Alex had to try to convince Astra to work with them but would also not hesitate to kill her if she had to. 

The goodbyes from the other Alex and Kara were painful and more likely a farewell. It was unlikely that they would meet again, but seeing how Earth could live even without Myriad, not as perfect and peaceful but with a free humanity, made Alex realize that freedom was more important than perfection; a golden cage was still just a cage. 

And so Kara returned Alex to Astra’s chambers about a month later. They said their goodbyes too, not knowing what would happen in the next few hours, but hoping that they would see each other again and be sisters like before. 

And then Alex called Astra and waited for her, Kryptonite sword ready but resting on her knees. She desperately hoped that she could make Astra see reason and even though Alex was angry and hurt for what Astra did to her, how she manipulated her, she could not bring herself to hate her and she hoped that they would have a chance to make up for everything that went wrong in the past.

 

~

 

Though she had seen them disappear, Astra hadn't really started to worry until Alex didn't return. There had been times when Kara had attacked before and initially part of why Astra had "recruited" Alex was the fact that Kara wouldn't hurt her sister. By the morning of the next day, Astra started to ask certain loyal people if they had seen Alex. It isn't until Stella sneered and asked if she and Alex had had a row that Astra leaps to the conclusion that something terrible has happened to Alex. Clearly what had happened was someone had allied with Kara and used her to take Alex from her. This conclusion made, Astra rounded on her lieutenants and started asking questions. With none answered, Astra began her crusade. Both Stella and Maxima, the two biggest objectors to Alex, were arrested on accounts of treason. They were questioned mercilessly, but it became clear that neither knew anything. Astra began to doubt if anyone who was on her side was truly helping at all, so she went to the room where Myriad was housed and did something that she hadn't done in years. Issuing a global wide order for anyone who knew something about Alex to come forward, she had waited for something to come through. Again, nothing. It felt like things were slowly unraveling and without Alex, Astra found that she could barely sleep at night. 

While she tried to remain composed in the daytime, Astra became increasingly erratic at night. Her rooms, which had once been carefully maintained and orderly, started to show the signs of just how bad Astra's mental state was. Clothes were carelessly tossed to the floor, a chair that Astra had sat down in too hard and broken wasn't yet replaced so the pieces were scattered around, and there were scorch marks on the wall from Astra waking up from the bad dreams that plagued her screaming, the lasers shooting from her eyes before she can remember to stop them. No one spoke of it, but there was a layer of fear that crept through the hearts of the Kryptonians as they all remembered the cruel things they had said about Alex. Did that make them next on the warpath of the General? 

Finally though, Astra had started to come up with an idea. More so she'd been talking with Fatima, who she had remembered Alex liked, and the woman had recalled it in passing. It was a long shot, but she had known of technology that would allow movement from one universe to another. If her Alex wasn't on this planet, something she would certainly know if she was by now, then Astra would simply have to find her in another. She had begun the preparation when for some reason Astra had been called to her room. 

Though Astra didn't look tired, she was exhausted, both in heart and physically. So when she saw Alex, Astra blinked and rubbed at her eyes, not quite believing that the other woman was really there. But when the figure didn't disappear, Astra moved forward a smile starting to form until the familiar prickle of Kryptonite sent a shiver across her skin. She stopped and realized that Alex had a sword just sitting there and Astra frowned. "....Alex?" It came out as a question, Astra not sure what was actually going on anymore.

 

_

 

While Alex waited she looked around the room and was shocked at what she saw. What happened while she had been gone? The room had never been in this much chaos ever and Alex wondered if it was because of her. Was Astra angry that she had escaped? Or was it possible that it had been worry for her that affected Astra this badly?

Alex couldn’t help it but her heart rate picked up when Astra entered. She also couldn’t help but smile a little. She missed Astra but what she was here for weight heavy on her mind. She stood, slowly so she didn’t seem threatening, but she didn’t put the sword away. 

“Astra,” she said, and her voice was huskier than she would have liked. “I missed you but … we need to talk.”

 

~

 

Just hearing Alex again made Astra's heart flutter and she shut her eyes, letting the sounds echo in her mind. "I looked everywhere for you," she said, knowing that her voice sounded more than a bit desperate.  She wanted to move forward and take Alex in her arms, though the sword made her confused. It wasn't like she was unused to Alex having Kryptonite weapons around her, but never anything so large. Despite her staying still, her hand went out and then Astra pulled it away, not wanting to reveal herself anymore. "Were you hurt? What happened to Kara?" She looked Alex up and down, unable to see anything from where she stood. After a month without Alex, Astra suddenly felt completely unsure of herself. "Why don't we talk after we get you looked after?" She hated to use one of the key Myriad activation phrases on Alex, but her concern for Alex being hurt overrode any other thought.

 

_

 

It was hard not to move forward and hug Astra, kiss her but if she did that she wasn’t sure she would be able to carry out the plan. So she stayed rooted to the spot even when Astra seemed to reach out for her. 

“I am fine Astra. Kara is fine too,” she said not wanting to reveal too much yet. “I almost killed her but she had unexpected help,” she added a visible shudder running through her when she remembered how close she had been to killing her sister.

Tears sprung to her eyes when she recognized one of the Myriad key phrases. “No.” The answer was simple but would let Astra know that she was free. “How could you? Astra,” there was pain in her voice and confusion. “How … you claim to love me but you still … I was loyal to you. I fought against my own sister. I took all the looks and the abuse by your crownies. Willingly. And you still used Myriad on me. I would have died for you Astra. Why?”

 

~

 

A look of relief passes over Astra's face when she hears that Kara is fine. Even now she didn't want to see her harmed. But then Astra blinked. That shouldn't be possible. She spluttered for a moment and then just pointed at the sword. "Because of that. I didn't..." She shook her head and crossed her arms. "You shouldn't be able to say no to me." It sounds petulant and Astra knows it. In fact it's bordering on things that Non used to say to her and that makes her shoulders sag. "I'm sorry. I was just worried, I wasn't thinking..." She ran her hands through her hair. "I've tried hard not to use it with you."

 

_

 

“You should have tried harder,” Alex shouted, anger clear on her face, only to deflate moments later and sink back into the chair. She wanted so much to just hug and kiss Astra it was unreal. She shouldn’t feel like this for someone who had abused their power on her. “Astra,” she eventually continued in a small voice. “I broke free from Myriad with Kara’s help,” she eventually said. “And due to the sword we are on even ground now,” she explained a little what had happened, but not too much yet. “Astra,” she all but sighed. “I should be allowed to say no to you. I have the right to say no to you. When I say yes it should be my own free will. Wouldn’t … wouldn’t that mean so much more to you? Would you really rather force a yes on me when my answer is really no?”

 

~

 

The shout makes Astra flinch and her hands clench into fists. Her eyes watch Alex, unsure of what she should be doing. All she wanted was for Alex to not be upset and to hold her, to welcome her back. Though she does scoff when Alex said the sword makes them even and Astra feels a slow roll of anger uncoil in her stomach. "If you had the choice then you'd always say no," she threw out sharply. "That's only made more clear by you with the sword. You've always just wanted to hurt me, like everyone else." Astra wanted to scream, to kick something, but she also knew that those actions would seem like she was trying to intimidate Alex into agreeing with her. After all, that's what had always made her cave. Instead she just continued to dig her nails into her skin. "And I have never wanted to hurt you. I was even going to, if I found you..." Astra trailed off and shook her head. It didn't matter now.

 

_

  
  


Alex flinched at Astra’s accusation but then she straightened and looked her in the eyes. “How can you say that? And believe it even?” she asked her voice close to cracking. “I never hurt you and I had countless chances even after you activated Myriad. As recently as .. our last night. I had the dagger, it would have been so easy. But the truth is … I could never hurt you.” She laughed quietly and shook her head. “Do you know that it’s my fault that this Earth is yours now? Because I didn’t stop you from killing J’onn? Even back then … I couldn’t hurt you Astra. And I really don’t want to hurt you now. It’s the last thing I want to do.”

She closed her eyes and focused her thoughts, her emotions were all over the place when she should be calm and focused on her mission. “I would not always say no Astra. I said yes a lot of times. I believed in what you did, what you envisioned for this Earth. And I still do. But … a relationship like we … it cannot work when … you can just push my wishes and my opinions aside with one word. That’s … abuse Astra. You r… you used me. Do you have any idea … how that … I was so angry and hurt and … And you know what the worst thing is?” she asked again searching for Astra’s eyes that had been her home for so long. “I still want you. After everything you … I still love you.”

 

~

 

Astra listened while Alex spoke, her eyes holding Alex's. There are flickers of multiple different emotions that run through her face, but eventually her face is blank, rigid. It's clear that Astra is forcing herself not to show any emotion as best as she could. But in her eyes there is a sorrow that cannot quite be masked "I think you know that I know exactly what that's like. But I never... when it was just us, only us, were you ever afraid of me?" She isn't sure what's prompting her to ask that question. Parts of her still want to rail against the fact that Alex would even dare accuse her of doing something like this, but something stronger, an emotion that Astra wasn't even quite sure what it was overrode them.

 

_

 

“No.” It was a simple answer and a simple truth. When it had just been them later Alex had never been afraid of Astra. In the very beginning when she first ran into her, before Astra helped her save Kara from the Black Mercy, back then she had been afraid because so much had still been unknown. She had not known Astra like she did now. “I was never afraid of you. And I am not afraid of you now, “ she elaborated. Seeing Astra trying to shut herself off from her and her feelings was hard but Alex knew that it was one of Astra’s defense mechanisms. She had seen it happen countless times, just very rarely with herself. “That you know what it’s like makes it even worse. Why Astra? I just want to understand. I … I don’t understand, it makes no sense to me.”

 

~

 

Hearing the word no makes Astra let out a heavy breath and she blinked away the water that was threatening to start forming in her eyes. "Why?" she repeated. "Because it's reassuring. At any moment I could get you to stop, if I really wanted to. To trust someone like that again... after... I didn't think I could. At first anyways, but then I thought I could. I did trust you." Her eyes dart to the sword again. "Without Myriad I don't have a guarantee to make you not hurt me."

 

_

 

Alex rubbed her eyes for a moment and let out another sigh. “I guess I can understand why you needed that at first. But .. that’s what a relationship is about. It’s about trust and there are never guarantees. If you wanted me to stop you just needed to say so, that’s how it usually works. And I had no guarantees; you could have easily crushed me. With your powers… But I trusted you, time and time again I made myself vulnerable to you of my own free will. Why wasn’t that enough? Why wasn’t I, as myself, enough? What other guarantees did you, do you, need?”

 

~

 

"I'm not talking about physical pain Alex. That has never been a fear of mine." Astra then takes a step forward, bringing herself closer to both Alex and the range of when the Kryptonite would start to affect her. "It isn't about you being enough either." She steps again, then another. "You are easily the braver of the two of us. And you are..." Astra moved forward again and then she bit her lip, the familiar painful tingle of the Kryptonite starting to crawl across her skin, but she doesn't stop this time and makes her way so that there is only an arm's reach between them. "While you may have never been afraid of me, I cannot say the same." Astra then dropped to her knees, not wanting to tower above Alex as she spoke. "While you were gone... It felt like I couldn't breathe. I couldn't sleep, not well at all. What you do to me terrifies me Alex. Because I cannot control it, I cannot plan for it, and you could take it away at any moment. Myriad or not. I wouldn't have stopped it even if I could." Astra lifted her hand, offering it to Alex. "I would need to know that you share everything with me. To know that you would rather spend your days with me. That I am your first and last choice just as you are mine."

 

_

 

Alex was actually not all that surprised when Astra finally decided to come closer despite the sword. Alex wanted to put the sword away so badly, but she knew she couldn’t give up the one advantage she had over her, the one item that would give her a chance if she really needed to kill Astra. But her jaw dropped at Astra’s words and when she sunk down to her knees before her. Tears were starting to pool in her eyes as she took Astra’s hand and pulled the other woman towards her. “I will kiss you now,” she announced because she didn’t want Astra to think she was going to attack her or something. Then she leaned in slowly to give Astra the chance to pull away if she wanted, or needed, to. Alex heart was screaming in agony. How could she even hope to fulfil her mission now? There was no way she could kill Astra, she’d rather die herself.

 

~

 

When Alex took her hand, that was the only thing Astra had hoped for, but then Alex was tugging her forward. Pushing herself up and into the kiss, Astra felt herself shaking slightly and there was a small trickle of hope that started to form in her heart. She hadn't realized just how much she'd missed kissing Alex and her free hand came up to cup Alex's cheek. It meant that she couldn't hide her nerves from Alex, surely the other woman would be able to feel her trembling. Eventually Astra pulled away, though she stayed close, searching Alex's eyes for something like an answer. "What does that mean?"

 

_

 

Alex let herself fall into the familiarity of the kiss for a moment, just basking in the feel of it for a few precious seconds. If this was their last kiss she wanted to commit it to her memory for as long as she still had to live. 

After the kiss ended she locked eyes with Astra and gave her a sad smile. “I love you Astra. I … despite everything I do love you so much. And I want to be with you and nobody else. I would gladly spend the rest of my life with you and I would happily die for you. Without Myriad influencing me this is all me Astra. I want to be yours, in every way. But … it really all depends on a choice you have to make,” she said her voice serious and a bit sad. Myriad was Astra’s tool to make her vision truth and Alex couldn’t see Astra give that up. But she had to try, she had to try and make this work and give them a chance too.

“Work with Kara and me, Astra. Kara has a way to turn off Myriad. I am the living proof of that. But it would cause a lot of chaos and a lot of innocent people would die. Work with us. Help us to give everyone their free will back and I promise you, {I swear to you}, I will be with you, by your side, every step of the way. Please, Astra,” she pleaded putting her own hand on top of Astra’s.

 

~

 

Confusion hits Astra as she listens to Alex, but she doesn't pull away. She can't. She blinks, her mind working to wrap around what exactly Alex was saying. "There shouldn't be a way to turn it off without me," she said, the first words in her head falling out of her mouth. But she believed Alex was telling her the truth. Then something in her mind clicked and Astra's eyes fell to the sword again. Her powers were completely gone at this point as it was a much larger amount than the knife. "And if I say no, you are going to kill me. I see." It did make sense. To remove Myriad, it would be the most simple to remove her. The plan itself was brilliant and made sense. Astra felt an ironic sense of pride. Both Kara and Alex had been able to outmatch her without even trying. 

"Alex... things are so close. The world economy is starting to stabilize around the system I've put in place, the energy crisis has been resolved. It isn't like I'm forcing people to make choices they don't want to make. By having Myriad, the human race is without fear of altruism. For once you are a species and people united and so you will all survive to rule the stars, long after I'm dead." She frowned. "Who knows what would happen if I were to fade it out." It wasn't an outright no. That's the part that surprised Astra. To anyone else, she was sure she would have cursed them away. But Astra had never been able to outright deny Alex much of anything.

 

_

 

Alex looks at Astra unwavering and nods. “That … that was the plan, yes,” she says. “But … I don’t think I can. Astra please, if we work together this can still work. Most people have seen by now how wonderful this world is. But it’s worth nothing if people are not free. We, the humans are a part of this world too,” she said quietly and her head fell forward. “Kara’s plan will work without me. I do not have any knowledge that could help you stop it. She will not stop even if you threaten my life. Myriad will go down, so please let us at least let it go down gently.”

She let the sword drop to the floor and looked at Astra. “I cannot do it. I thought I could if I had to. I am a soldier, I should be able to ... .” Alex let out a huff of air and then sank to her knees to so she was kneeling in front of Astra. “Astra, I am begging you. Just like I asked you to trust me … have a little faith in humanity. Let us work together. We can be a family. We can ... .” Again she leaned forward, cupping Astra’s cheeks in her hands. “We will all make sure to give this world the best start it can get. But paradise is worth nothing without freedom.”

 

~

 

Without speaking, Astra moved forward, placing her head on Alex's shoulder, shutting her eyes. Her mind was racing with the possibilities. What would happen to her, to the other aliens if she let Myriad go? How could she start to even try to undo the work she had done? This work had been the only thing she'd had going for her. The only possible future. Or so she'd thought. But Alex was offering her another. One that was unknown, unthinkable, but for the call of having a family. "I don't know," she murmured, her heart feeling like it was going to rip in two. "I have no idea what to do if I'm not doing what I have been." The argument of freedom wasn't totally lost on her either. It had been a sacrifice that Astra had made for the planet so that they could continue to survive. But now that that survival was almost guaranteed, she found her stance on the matter wavering. Normally Astra was so sure of what she was doing, guided by the knowledge of what was right. But knowing that she'd die and things would explode into chaos made there no clear option. Dying for her cause meant nothing if it wouldn't be upheld and since her death would also allow Maxima a chance to grasp at power, Astra wasn't sure that it would be worth it. "I can't fail again, but I don't want to lose you."

 

_

 

Alex threw her arms around Astra clinging to her with everything she had. Astra had not said no, there was a chance. “But this freedom … it would mean nothing to me … without you. If you … surrender, you can still be a part of this. You would still be the general, just without Myriad. And when things evened out you can step down, people can vote for a government. And I had the idea that you and the others, who are willing, could be a special ops unit to prevent wars and help in case of disasters, like earthquakes and things like that. There will be a place for you, one that gives you a purpose,” Alex said her voice full of hope. “And … I will be here, with you. And in a few years … I don’t know maybe we can have a real family. You can … you have done what you promised to do. You saved this Earth. You didn’t fail.”

She tilted Astra’s head upwards and kissed her deeply, trying to put all the love and hope she had for them into the kiss. “This can work if we all stand together. It might not be easy, but it can be done.”

 

~

 

Tears formed in Astra's eyes and she kissed Alex back. She had offered herself up to Alex earlier and now Alex was giving her something else back. A new future. Astra had never been one with much hope, but there was something about Alex that always made her want to try. So she pulled away, looking into Alex's eyes, taking as much strength as she could from them. "Alright." The word came out a little broken as Astra felt the years of this heavy burden shatter to pieces. "You'll have to help me, letting all of that go..." she shook her head and the tears started to fall despite herself. Astra wasn't sure if she was happy or sad. Perhaps it was a mix of both. Her hands clung to Alex as Astra started to sob. It was such a strange reaction and she shook her head.

 

_

 

Alex’s smile was blinding. This was the best possible outcome for her mission, it had been what she had not dared to hope for. But here it was, Astra agreed and Alex couldn’t be happier. Alex was now crying too, but it was all the pressure falling away from her making room for happiness and hope. “Of course,” she said smiling brightly. “I said I would be with you and I meant it. I will help you, and Kara will too.” She hugged Astra tightly when she started to sob. Alex knew that this had to be really hard on Astra, she was giving up her whole life for an unknown future with her. “I love you so much Astra. And I missed you. And this … coming here. I insisted on talking to you first. Kara thought it was too risky. But I knew … I hoped I could talk to you and … I wanted to see you, I needed to talk to you about us. You have no idea how happy I am right now,” she said and tackled Astra to the ground so she was on top of her. “I really missed you.”

 

~

 

While she could hear the words that Alex was saying, Astra could only really hold onto the other woman. She let Alex tackle her and she just held on tighter. Since everything was going to change, the only thing that she had to hold onto was Alex. Astra was still powerless, so she let herself use all of her strength to pull Alex as close as possible. When her breathing finally evened out, Astra just shut her eyes and nodded. "I missed you too. So much." She couldn't truthfully confess that she was happy when she had no idea what she was feeling at all. But the way that Alex had been smiling had been so beautiful. That would have to be enough for now. The other things about how Astra had used Alex were still creeping in the back of her mind and maybe giving all of this up would be a way to make up for it all.

 

_

 

Alex just held Astra, planting tiny kisses on her cheeks, kissing the tears away and mumbled little assurances into her ear until she felt that Astra had calmed down a bit. There was a lot they needed to talk about, a lot of work was ahead of them and not all of it would be easy. Alex couldn’t imagine the other Kryptonians liking not longer being in charge. She knew there were some that would follow Astra either way, but there were others, like Maxima for example who would definitely try to oppose her. “What do you say we go and see Kara? Wouldn’t you like that? Just the three of us just talking, no hidden agenda. I promise,” she whispered quietly. And later we can come back and celebrate a little, just the two of us before the real work starts tomorrow. How’s that sound?”

 

~

 

"I," Astra started and then she shook her head. "I don't know if Kara would want to see me." She turned her head, not wanting to look at Alex. Astra knew that if her and Kara's positions were reversed, she would not have even considered an option where she let Kara live. "And I have to clean up my room. And since you are alive, I have to call off the searches and release Maxima, I suppose." Stella had been released much quicker simply due to the fact she had a very solid alibi. Though technically none of these things actually needed to be done right away, Astra was just finding excuses to not meet Kara.

 

_

 

Alex turned Astra’s head right back towards her and gave her a sweet, chaste kiss. “She does want to see you. We talked about it when we made this plan and she … she misses you. She loves you, just like you love her. There’s a reason you never really hunted her but used me as a shield, at first. And Kara never really went after you personally for the same reason. You agreeing to this, it will make her so happy Astra. Everything else can wait until tomorrow. We still have to talk how we want to do this. Kara and I have some ideas but we didn’t want to make any decisions without you, if you agreed. Which you did,” Alex said smiling at Astra gently. “I know you want to see her. Don’t hide from me, love. There’s no need.”

 

~

 

She reached up and gently touched Alex's cheek, eyes searching Alex's for something and then seeming to find it. "Alright." It's the same sort of resigned agreement that she had made when relinquishing Myriad. Astra didn't know if this was truly the right decision, but since Alex seemed to believe so, she would agree. She wished there was a clear right answer, like she so often knew there was. It would have made her life so much easier. "Though you will have to get off of me before we do that," she commented dryly. It's almost like humor, a sign that Astra is starting to recover from the many conflicting emotions swirling in her heart.

 

_

 

Looking at her watch Alex grinned. “I think I can stay on top of you a bit longer. We still have some time until we need to be where Kara and I agreed we’d meet if things worked out. When I wouldn’t show up she knew I had failed and she had to continue the plan without me,” Alex explained and then leaned down to kiss Astra properly. She buried her hands in Astra’s hair and pulled slightly, knowing that Astra liked the pain when she was without her powers. “It will all be okay. It won’t necessarily be easy, but together we can make this work.” Alex truly believed that. With Astra and Kara working together, and not fighting each other any longer, they could conquer everything. And it could be seen clearly in her eyes that were full of hope, and happiness and love. “I love you Astra. You don’t know how much.”

 

~

 

Astra kissed Alex back, groaning when she pulled on her hair. Her hands moved to Alex's sides, pulling the fabric and making the kiss last as long as she could until Alex pulled away. "I love you too," she returned, just observing the joy that was on Alex's face. In all of their time together, she had never seen anything quite like that. It made her heart happy to see, but the guilt crept in as well. She would have never been able to make Alex this happy with Myriad still affecting her. "And I am sorry... for everything."

 

_

 

“I will not say that it’s okay,” Alex stated. “Because what you did … it was not okay. But we’ve been over this and I accept your apology. And by agreeing to work with Kara and giving up Myriad you are proving that you mean it. So I forgive you,” she said solemnly. “I am not exactly innocent in this either and it will take me some time, and working hard on this plan, to make up for my mistakes. Although I am very glad I made them because it means that I can be with you,” she added. Who could have guessed that one decision of plain, human Alex Danvers would change the world this completely.

 

~

 

Astra nodded. Truthfully, she was not sure where or how this would go, but her mind was already starting to adjust to the idea of working for something new, something that would one day make things even better than she could have conceived by herself. Something like relief trickled into her heart and Astra reached up to cup Alex's cheek. "You have nothing to be blamed for, Alex. I'm afraid that this whole situation rests solely in my hands. I believed myself above judgement and above all others. That is, until I got to know you. You've grounded me, made me remember that I'm just one person. It will take some time for me to fully adjust, but so long as you are with me, I will not forget again."

 

_

 

Leaning down Alex kissed Astra again, without rush just basking in the feeling of being able to do so. “Alright,” she eventually said smiling widely. “Let’s  go meet Kara. She will be so happy about this. We thought for sure that we would not see each other again. One way or another I would not have survived this day if you had not agreed,” she said calmly. Going into Astra’s chambers Alex had been prepared to die. Either by Astra’s hand or by the guards after they had found out that Alex had killed Astra. “But luckily we will all be able to see a lot of each other now. And Kara will be over the moon about this.”

Taking Astra’s hand she led her to the window and instructed her were to fly them so they could meet Kara and start their new life together. A life that would contain hard work and certainly some fights, but that would see their Earth bloom and prosper just like Astra had envisioned.

**Author's Note:**

> Authors: Alex-Dxnvers & Inze (Come find us on tumblr)
> 
> If you like Fatima and Raa-Un as much as we do you can find them on Inze’s multimuse-blog asafehavenx


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